New York has established a quarantine across five Suffolk County towns that prohibits untreated firewood and certain woody plant materials from being moved out of the area to slow the spread of laurel wilt.
The quarantine covers Huntington, Babylon, Smithtown, Islip and Brookhaven, the state departments of Environmental Conservation and Agriculture and Markets announced Friday.
Sassafras and spicebush logs, branches, roots and stumps cannot leave the district. Untreated firewood of any tree species is also covered by the restriction because infested wood can carry the beetle that spreads the disease.
Materials may leave after heat treatment at an approved facility or after being chipped into pieces smaller than 1 inch in length and width and kept on site for at least seven days. DEC may also issue a limited transportation permit under specific conditions.
Nursery-grown sassafras and spicebush may be moved only with a permit and a compliance agreement from the Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Laurel wilt is caused by the invasive fungus Harringtonia lauricola and kills trees and shrubs in the laurel family. The fungus is carried by the redbay ambrosia beetle, which infects wood while tunneling to lay eggs.
The disease was first confirmed in New York in August 2025 and has been found at 10 Suffolk County sites. Surveys elsewhere in the region and at targeted upstate locations have found no additional infections, according to the state.
Symptoms include sudden leaf wilting, dark streaks in the wood beneath the bark and small holes in branches, trunks or roots. Fine sawdust-like material may protrude from the holes.
There is no treatment for laurel wilt, making limits on wood movement the state's primary tool for reducing its spread. Suspected cases can be reported through DEC's Forest Health Reporting form or the NY iMapInvasives program.
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