Leaving firewood at camp

@scoutergriz : Your argument is very logical and, being based on years of your own personal experience, it is very believable as being fact... therefore it has no place in today's world and we must ignore it. (I think I'm going to go outside and throw a firepit into the woods.)

Leave No Trace is the obvious answer.

For years I taught LNT as part of my outdoor classes but I always strove to stress it's an ethic not necessarily law. Unfortunately, I've also met too many LNT instructors who have allowed their own prejudices to be shared as "the law" when it comes to various LNT principles. When you are seeking information, and are met by an instructor like this, you will probably gravitate to their way of doing things. Even when it's not necessary. A new person won't know anything different and, if they're not willing to delve deeper into the issue, they'll just follow along with what they've been "taught" by this individual.

While I've been out of the field for a few years, when I first started teaching LNT, it was built around a set of principles that could be adapted to various habitats and environments. How you pooped in the woods/ocean/dessert, etc. was all based on various environmental factors. Now it seems as if it's more a codified set of rules. And, if you're an old timer like me, you might remember Paul Petzold's old saying, "rules are for fools." In other words, you need to do what's proper for where you are; not follow some prescribed to-do list. Tossing firewood into the bush seems to me to be following a to-do list instead of thinking through where you are, the overall environmental conditions and thinking of those to come who might need the firewood. Remember, another one of LNT's tenets is being considerate to other users. Leaving firewood for someone when you can is one of the most considerate things you can do for future visitors in my opinion.

OK, time to step down from my soapbox...

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

I've often wondered how many LNT enthusiasts have walked across the ports I cleared with a gas powered chainsaw, or how many campsites they have stayed at where I have knocked down chicots that could fall on a tent and basically made the site habital. LNT is a nice concept for well used parks, but many of its principles are foolish for wilderness tripping.

And since I'm on a rant, I urge all of those militant LNT practicioners to join some forestry advisory groups to try to protect canoe routes from processing machines that can de-nude acres of forest in a day, leaving behind empty fields of mayhem. Sounds more productive then b!tching about a few sticks of firewood left around a fire pit.

memaquay said:

I've often wondered how many LNT enthusiasts have walked across the ports I cleared with a gas powered chainsaw, or how many campsites they have stayed at where I have knocked down chicots that could fall on a tent and basically made the site habital. LNT is a nice concept for well used parks, but many of its principles are foolish for wilderness tripping.

And since I'm on a rant, I urge all of those militant LNT practicioners to join some forestry advisory groups to try to protect canoe routes from processing machines that can de-nude acres of forest in a day, leaving behind empty fields of mayhem. Sounds more productive then b!tching about a few sticks of firewood left around a fire pit.

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- echos of Uncle Phil.

If doing a long loop trip I will leave dry cut poles back in the timber for me to use on my return to camp near the end of my trip. If just passing through, I leave wood like others have posted by a fire pit as a courtesy and it could save someone, you never know.

I agree with the opinions on the rock monolith fire rings. Often times, just too darn many … fire does not breath, too hard to cook on etc. I do not understand the thinking on this. Are we to not follow portage trails as well?

I encountered the exact opposite in Algonquin Park: someone had cut down spruce trees, processed them into 4' billots, and stacked them by the fire pit. There were about 10 of these, 8-10" in diameter, cut with a (presumably electric) chainsaw. Perched on top were 6 "fresh" eggs. Some people...

I rarely make a fire when alone, unless conditions and mood are appropriate.

scratchypants said:

I encountered the exact opposite in Algonquin Park: someone had cut down spruce trees, processed them into 4' billots, and stacked them by the fire pit. There were about 10 of these, 8-10" in diameter, cut with a (presumably electric) chainsaw. Perched on top were 6 "fresh" eggs. Some people...

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I don't know about the eggs, but the spruce sound almost like the work of ranger crews- I've seen similar done in small patches of budworm infestation, or in areas where black spruce are crowding out other, slower growing species...
the key is the 4' balks, usually users will cut to 16"-2' lengths, ranger crews aren't cutting firewood so they cut it to manageable lengths for stacking away from other, healthy firs.

Black_Fly said:

I rarely make a fire when alone, unless conditions and mood are appropriate.

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Same here, especially in my later years when I only trip in warm times and climes and don't need a fire for warmth. Moreover, I saw, cut, chop and hack enough wood, branches, vines and downed trees on my own property all spring and summer that I have little interest in doing so when going on a canoe trip to escape and relax from the daily grind.

lowangle al said:

That's a pet peeve of mine too. It seems rocks are added over the years for some reason (probably to block wind) and you end up building your fire in a hole. It doesn't get good air flow and retains heat that would otherwise warm you. It also makes it hard to feed the fire if you are using a grill.

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I expect it is because a lot of people don't cook over the fire anymore, and use a stove instead. The fire is decorative, and the stereotypcial firepit/hearth is a circle of stones.

I expect there’s a reasonable distinction to be made between designated campsites and dispersed camping. At a designated campsite with a fire ring, it doesn’t make sense to scatter cut wood in the immediate area. Whereas if you’ve camped in an otherwise unimproved area, it’s probably best to leave it as you found it.

One of the ways to tell you are in wild country is a lack of fire pits.
I was not so sure about Wild and Scenic River regulations. They have turned out to be a blessing. Pulling up to a totally clean campsite is a real pleasure, even if I have to go look for some fire wood.

I've left firewood and I've made use of firewood that's been left.

I used to make a point of leaving firewood but I rarely do anymore. If I cut more than I use, which is rare because I rarely make a large fire, then I leave the extra but I don't process extra just for the fun of it.

Arriving at a site with firewood ready to go doesn't annoy me and it doesn't leave me with warm fuzzy feelings either.

More than once I've arrived at a campsite to find a stack of firewood, who knows how many years old, to be a crumbled and rotten heap. Those are my favorite ones to find.

Alan

I loathe the fire pits in BWCA. The grates make it hard to have a proper fire. A swinging grate over a pit is much more useful.

I've not often encountered firewood "voluntarily" left behind, more often (particularly in parks) the remnants of failed fires in the pit.
But the rare times it is it has been a small and welcome offering. A small measure of etiquette I consider a strength of character rather than a weakness of mind. There is a paucity of the former and a glut of the latter particularly in these modern times.
On one ocassion I came across several dry poles leaning under an evergreen set back from the camp clearing. I hate now to admit this but I chose one to harvest for our evening fire, having no idea what they'd been for. Only afterwards realizing they'd probably been stashed for a winter camp. Ready-made support poles for canvas tents would be a boon in the backcountry. IIRC on a vid from HOOP he explains/demonstrates how a pole would weather better leaned just so rather than all cut and stacked. Fuel is never hard to find where I go if you're willing to take a walk in the woods. I usually cook over twig fires so it doesn't take much.

I have always left firewood behind, most likely due to Scouting.

Wabakimi was funny. Unsure who did it (Friends of Wabakimi I would guess) but at almost every campsite there was a supply of wood, neatly cut and stacked, and in most cases was rotting away from lack of use.

As one who has always entered the woods prepared to fend for myself, I consider this all to be much ado about nothing. Don't care if no one leaves firewood, don't care if they do. If, on the rare occasion I have a fire, I cut more than I use - I leave it stacked somewhere obvious but not necessarily by a fire ring (fire rings being prohibited in some of my wanderings).

Idunno. I get that there's a tradition, but I don't think it's fair to criticize those who don't hold to it. When I go into the wilderness, I don't get bent if it's obvious someone has been there before me, but the most I expect to have available is wilderness.

Keeled Over said:

I have always left firewood behind, most likely due to Scouting.

Wabakimi was funny. Unsure who did it (Friends of Wabakimi I would guess) but at almost every campsite there was a supply of wood, neatly cut and stacked, and in most cases was rotting away from lack of use.

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Yeah the Scout groups especially and also some of the canoe camp groups are big on leaving stacks of nice processed firewood.

Here is a camp on the Albany (I didn't have a fire), I found similar stacks at a number of campsites on that trip up until I caught up and passed that group of kids.

Keeled Over said:

I have always left firewood behind, most likely due to Scouting.

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That makes perfect sense. If I had a camp full of rambunctious boys I'd be looking for busy work to give them and firewood would be tops on the list.

Alan