Leaving firewood at camp

Odyssey said:

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.

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actually in southern Ontario firewood can be a very scarce commodity, especially in the last couple of years with all the newbies that think a fire has to have 3' flames....
I've had times when collecting fallen, decent, dry wood has entailed a mile long trip upstream from any sites, as can be seen by the staggering amount of unburnable green trees cut down...

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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more often than not with me, trail clearing and brushing has led to a 1/2 face cord being left on almost every established site due to all the winter blowdowns and widowmakers- problem is that it's enough work to move that wood to the sites (we portaged a wheelbarrow- not fun), and too time consuming to split those rounds. Add that few people carry a maul or splitting axe, and the stuff just sits there...

while I appreciate firewood especially on a stormy day, I don't expect it or criticize those who don't do it. throwing it in the bush would drive me batty though because of the huge waste of resources and environmental impact.
About the only places I actively collect extra are those like Algonquin, KHWS, or the Moon river, simply because most sites there have been denuded of anything burnable (and lots that won't burn) for hundreds of feet in every direction in the hopes that if needed, subsequent trippers will use that rather than cut more growth if they arrive at the site cold, wet, and exhausted. if in a lighter impacted area, if I have left over wood when I leave, I will stack it for the next people.
As for scouts and other youth groups, I've always preferred having the kids patrol the area for garbage and discarded gear then have them pile up massive mountains of firewood that will be left to rot and deprive other sites of collectable wood...In fact one of my favourite methods of enticement is that whoever finds the most garbage earns a nice, shiny, new compass, SA knife, or headlamp...

I do hope I left enough wood for the next group!

Wow. I will never stop leaving my leftover firewood next to an established fire ring. My favorite is to find an intact tube of birch bark and fill it with kindling.

I get a kick out of the LNT crowd. For instance a banana peel, field stripped and scattered, is unacceptable because it's not naturally occurring. But you can clean your fish in camp and leave the entrails behind because it's natural.

This seems pretty straight forward. If there is an established campsite leave the wood. Especially in heavily used campsites, because otherwise people will pillage anything that burns for firewood.

In wild areas use your best judgement. Of course I always appreciate when folks leave wood for me.

Alan Gage said:

I don't know what "leave no trace" has to say about firewood but maybe some people consider leaving firewood breaks the leave no trace ethic.

I certainly don't think it does but that's the most plausible reason that first comes to mind.

Alan

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I think of it this way. Leave no trace unless it's a safety issue. If someone pulls into camp late, wet, freezing and hungry, I don't want them wandering around in the woods after dark and breaking their ankle. I always leave my leftover firewood.

Some people are not aware of the etiquette of leaving safety and/or courtesy wood for the next camper. On my most recent trip, my friend's son said "Hey that was nice, we don't need to get any wood" and I explained it to him and he said "Ahhh" and it made sense to him. I'll bet there are many people who have not traveled with anyone else or hung out of forums that don't realize what it's for. Maybe they just think it was just leftover wood? Who knows, but threads like this help people do an "Ah-ha!" on what many feel should be known information.

I always leave some, probably from my Scouting days.

In rarely used sites I will arrange some of the wood in the fire ring in a specific pattern known only to me - and all of my fishing buddies. In almost every case the wood is gone when I return. (If I camped in the fall and then used the same site in the spring it is often undisturbed). On one occasion it stayed the same for three years. Doesn't mean nobody camped there of course.

It's possible I have too much time on my hands.

boy&hisdogs said:

If someone pulls into camp late, wet, freezing and hungry, I don't want them wandering around in the woods after dark and breaking their ankle.

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I often pull into camp late, wet, cold, and hungry. So I'm not going to wander around in the woods and risk breaking my ankle so the next person can have ready to burn firewood.

I'm going to take care of my own needs and assume that whoever follows can do the same.

Alan

I too prefer a cook fire to a stove, and I always carry a small, ultralight alcohol stove and a few ounces of fuel for first night and emergencies. I also don't like mornings at all, and if it's chilly, I'll lay in bed while my oatmeal/tea water boils on that stove. I'm not a rabid "LNT" guy, but spend most of my woods time so far off trail/off grid/back of beyond, that my use of firewood isn't going to hurt anything.

My favorite type of trip is one to a backwoods base camp site with exploration and fishing on the itinerary for several days. The first day in normally involves a long paddle with portages, and arrival at the site in early to mid afternoon. At this point, I'm simply too tired to process wood. Mostly the rest of that day is about making camp; siting a hammock or tarp, creating or cleaning/rearranging a fire ring (most existing ones are too big and don't 'draw' smoke properly), figuring out water, and cooking my first dinner on an alcohol stove before dropping exhausted into bed.

The next morning though, the main mission for the day is to find good, easily-split, well-seasoned hardwood... like maple. This is often done simultaneously with exploring a new area; I just make sure to bring my saw along to cut anything I find into lengths manageable / fittable into the canoe. After that, I spend a bit of time processing said firewood... cutting, resting, splitting, resting, cutting, rinse, repeat, until I have enough for dinner and a campfire for a day or so. Inevitably, it rains at some point on a trip, and on those rainy days, there is nothing better to pass time with than cutting and splitting an ample wood supply. I like to read then as well, as a break, but reading is more for bedtime/evening... I've cut/split wood by headlamp before, and it is not entirely safe... best done during the day.

Regardless, I usually end up with FAR more than I can use. This becomes my gift to the next guy. If you ever pull into one of my sites, there is always enough for at least one hot meal, if not more. I usually leave a "chicken stick" in the pit as well.