Firewood

[Merlin]

On our trip east this summer, I saw entirely too many campers in private campgrounds, national parks, provincial parks, and state parks with firewood in their loads. They hauled it in trailers, fifth wheels, trucks, motorhomes, and even in boats. In many cases, it looked like they were hauling it long distance and not just buying it locally. That's too bad, because tree diseases and pests moved around by firewood are the main cause of the devastation we are seeing to many of our forest trees in campgrounds. Emerald ash borer, oak wilt, beech bark disease, spruce bark beetle, etc. etc. are all moved with firewood into the very places campers most value trees; campgrounds! My wife and I were astounded at the loss of ash trees throughout the I-90 corridor; in some places it looked like permanent winter for mile after mile and the same is true all over Michigan where former ash forests are gone. Very sad.

Without getting too "sermony", buy firewood locally or if you have to carry it, buy the pre-treated (heated/dried) packages with the USDA/APHIS invasive-free label. If you absolutely have to haul firewood (in many places and cases illegally), make sure you burn it ALL right away and don't leave any pieces of bark/wood behind.

http://tncfirewood.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/sp-federal_firewood_stamp_sample.jpg

[Capt J-rod]

Damn near every ash is gone in Ohio and Michigan. If I do take any wood it is scrap oak, hickory, or cherry out of the wood shop. That stuff is all kiln dried. It is a big deal around us and you can't legally move it from county to county. Sadly I don't know if my kids will ever know what an ash looked like.

[Paul]

That is sad over here you can't bring your own woods in national park but I always see people that do it anyway even if they tell everyone not to at the entrance of the park. They should start looking in truck bed!

[pjcd]

A couple of days before a trip, It usually go get 4 - 7 hardwood pallets from the local business's, (who are happy to get rid of them) brake them down and take those with me. they last a couple of days, by then I usually can find someone selling wood for a reasonable price.

This firewood ban has been in effect for years, but it doesn't seem to be enforced by anyone. When ever I visit a state / county park web site, there is alway a warning. Forget about private campgrounds, I don't recall ever seeing the warning, ( maybe there is, I just don't call seeing the warning).

[Powder Hounds]

Your not alone. In Waterton Lakes National Park (southern Alberta) there is a no outside wood rule as well. The really good thing though is you have to purchase a 'daily' camp fire permit at $10.00 CAD and then you get to purchase your bag(s) of wood. Now, the best is yet to come. The 'wood' are pieces of cut bark. No buddles of anything that resembles what you would think would make an enjoyable summer campfire, just the best Canadian bark you can get. The Conservation Officers will enforce the no outside wood as well. Enforcment is a monetary ticket. Makes using our propane fire bowl much more economic and less hassle. It is very easy for the officers to spot outside wood. Those campers actually have a fire.

I understand the importance of protecticting this very sensitive eco system but this specific situation will just encourage people to act in a negative manner, using outside wood and burning dead fall. Common sense and fairness are starting to be things of the past. IMO

In some other campgrounds the facility will provide all the wood you want, there still is your daily fire permit charge, but the no outside wood issue is a non issue.  (Honeymoon Creek, south of Jasper National Park)

This summer though, there are so many fire bans that it really doesn't matter.

[pjcd]

$10 a day? So, the privilege of having a fire will cost you $70 for a week. That doesn't sound reasonable to me.

[Paul]

In New Brunswick in national park it cost 4.90 CAD for a big bag of stove dried wood. They sell it for cheap to encourage people to not bring their own wood. The exact same bag they sell is sold 9$ at a gas station

[Pinstriper]

We burn firewood as our primary source of home heat. Probably half of the 2-3 cords I use in a year is from down limbs and trees on my own property. The rest is cut and hauled from - wait for it - a nearby national or state forest. For $15 you can also buy a permit that allows you to go into the forest and cut down firewood - and often it is already down, you just cut the log into rounds and haul it away.

So it is already being hauled 50-100 miles. And guess where the campground firewood comes from ? Nope, it ain't from trees cut down in the park - they don't have enough fall down and it would be unsustainable.

If you guessed that they buy it from someone who cuts it down in a state or national forest, you would be correct. So the park wood supplies are already transporting firewood from afar into the park.

I have yet to see this posted as a fine-able offense. It is more of a "Don't do this, it's bad" thing but not enforceable.

Now, there is truth in there somewhere about transporting pests, but not as much as they want you to think.

The major benefit of buying wood at the park is the funds go into the park's budget.

So, I have 2 duffel bags that I load up at home, and if/when that runs out, I buy wood at the park.

[pjcd]

In NY, $250 fine, $100 civil penalty and up to 15 days in jail.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/44008.html

[gibby]

$10 a day? So, the privilege of having a fire will cost you $70 for a week. That doesn't sound reasonable to me.

As Powder Hound mentioned, you do pay for the permit (in Banff / Jasper national parks) but all the wood you can burn is included (good wood too). In most other places try buying a single bundle of wood for less than $10, and you may get a 1-2 hour fire.

But yes, don't be hauling firewood around, bad idea. I pick up scrap construction wood for my fires (other than Banff, see above).

That being said, no fires allowed (fire ban) anywhere in Alberta for the most part, so this is moot!   

[pjcd]

I miss-understood, I didn't realize that that permit included the wood, that, actually is a pretty good deal.