"No gathering of fire wood"

T

texas gun person

Joined
Jun 9, 2010
Messages
700
Has anyone else ever been confused by this policy at some parks?

I just find it strange that it might take you and whoever else a few hours to get out to a camp site, and then worry about if you should start a fire or not. Do parks expect people to carry along a red wagon with them full of fire wood?


I could understand a "no gathering" policy for camp grounds that are very large, and have all the amenities a short walk away. The sort of camp grounds where 90% of the campers are in a RV. :(

Anyways... I will admit that I have gathered some fire wood. I don't go around chopping down trees in a state park, but I have picked up dead/fallen wood.




I just wanted to see if anyone else has encountered such a policy while out camping.


A few pictures for your time.

hike1.jpg



Edge of the dirt there is a 30-40 foot drop off. Hard for the camera to make out well.

hike3.jpg


hike4.jpg


hike5.jpg


hike6.jpg
 
Why won't let you gather downed branches? Are they afraid there won't be enough left to fuel the next big forest fire?
 
I recently saw a sign like that when I was deer hunting this year at a campsite up in Shasta area. My buddies and I were perplexed by it, so we ignored it and gathered anyways. We didn't stack a cord or anything, but needed wood for the fire. To see that sign after you arrive at your site, is a little too late. No one said boo about it. I am curious as to the reason behind it though.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Why won't let you gather downed branches? Are they afraid there won't be enough left to fuel the next big forest fire?
Click to expand...


I have been to different state parks that say different things.

Some say no gathering of any kind.

Some just say gathering is prohibited. (I'm guessing this goes for cutting trees for a wood source, or it could also mean gathering of any kind. Does not specify)
 
That type of sign is up in a state forrest local to me as well. Also the new signs that are at the trail head of one of the trails prohibits "open fires" in a place that has absolutely no public ameneties. I just wonder if this is going to be a new trend where the only places you are allowed to have camp fires is where there are also a bunch of other people "camping" and making your outdoor experience as painful as possible.
 
Brutane said:
That type of sign is up in a state forrest local to me as well. Also the new signs that are at the trail head of one of the trails prohibits "open fires" in a place that has absolutely no public ameneties. I just wonder if this is going to be a new trend where the only places you are allowed to have camp fires is where there are also a bunch of other people "camping" and making your outdoor experience as painful as possible.
Click to expand...

Yep mine are the same way about ground fires.
Although every camp site has a fire ring with ashes in them.


If it's winter (it gets a little cold in Texas at times:p) sorry, but I'm going to have a fire of some kind going. :o
 
" No gathering of fire wood" bothers you? How's "No wood fire" policy.
I spent a few days in Yosemite this summer in a private camp site (everything else was full), and I had to put with this policy. All the fire rings were removed. I asked why, no one was able to give me a reason, except that's their new policy. I mean, imagine camping without a camp fire! What's next? No shooting during hunting season?
 
A big part of the camping experience is the fire, but out here we frequently have to deal with "no fires" during the wildfire season. This can sometimes include within established campgrounds, not just remote camping.

No fires above 10,000' in the Sierras. I think this is actually a good policy, seeing there isn't a whole lot to burn anyway above tree line. What brush and low trees there is, would get used up in a big hurry anyway. Organics don't break down at high altitude like they do lower down the mountain, so leftover charcoal could last for decades. Back in the day, heavily used areas were pocked by fire rings and the black soot that goes along with fires.

On the other hand, below 10,000' there is usually ample wood for the taking in many areas....
 
texas gun person said:
Has anyone else ever been confused by this policy at some parks?
Click to expand...

We just moved from Texas in December, however we did a lot of backpacking and camping in central Texas. For most of the seasons, they do have fire bans as the winds can be pretty dangerous. I've talked to several campground managers and most do limit open fires when it's really dry and windy, but the biggest concern for limiting the gathering of firewood is to keep people from cutting down trees. My issue is that there was so much dead wood lying around, especially in washout areas.

It was always really troubling when we did some back-country camping where there were several sites. There would be a burn ban, yet some people had a fire going...trying to do the right thing with the kids was difficult. There was a web site that actually listed daily firebans and some state parks have exemptions if they have the bigger fire rings. Biggest pain is when backpacking and seeing "no gathering firewood" signs. I always had to bring along a backpacking stove as backup if we didn't know the conditions.

Another option is to get one of those small natural fuel stoves...you can only really use twigs and the fire is "enclosed":

DSC04078.jpg


DSC04079.jpg


DSC04080.jpg


DSC04081.jpg


DSC04082.jpg


DSC04083.jpg


DSC04084.jpg


DSC04085.jpg


As much as I liked Texas, that was a major PITA for outdoors activities.

ROCK6
 
I camped at a state park in Missouri this summer , and it had a no gathering firewood policy.The reason ,I was told , is to keep people from cutting down trees.You also are not suppose to bring your own firwood beacause of the Emerald Ash Beetle. The only firewood allowed was bought from them.
 
Most of the provincial parks in Canada have those signs, they don't mean you can't have a fire, just that they don't want you picking up the dead wood. The idea behind it is that the dead wood, leaves and other natural debris that is perfect for making fires, is also natural mulch and nutrients for the parks themselves. If everyone starts cleaning up the parks of their dead stuff, the ground won't have enough nutrients to support grass, trees and other flora and will eventually die. Yes, it's a pita to bring in your own wood, especially if you are planning to camp for a bit but usually there are places nearby that you can by bundles of wood from. I would rather bring my own or buy it at 3-4$ a bundle then not have a place to go.
 
I think Dipbait has the gereral purpose down , buy their wood but also I have read that they want the dead wood to return to the soil.
 
As I read it somewhere, the "no gathering" firewood rule is in effect as a measure to prevent people from removing valuable resources from the environment. According to this website (doing my best to track it right now) downed wood is important for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Bugs use it, the soil needs it, vegetation, etc..
 
tattooedfreak said:
Most of the provincial parks in Canada have those signs, they don't mean you can't have a fire, just that they don't want you picking up the dead wood. The idea behind it is that the dead wood, leaves and other natural debris that is perfect for making fires, is also natural mulch and nutrients for the parks themselves. If everyone starts cleaning up the parks of their dead stuff, the ground won't have enough nutrients to support grass, trees and other flora and will eventually die. Yes, it's a pita to bring in your own wood, especially if you are planning to camp for a bit but usually there are places nearby that you can by bundles of wood from. I would rather bring my own or buy it at 3-4$ a bundle then not have a place to go.
Click to expand...

Well, its an okay hypothesis but incorrect from a biomass and energetic point of view. First, in Canada most of the biomass is in soil-O horizon. That is where the nutrients are stored. The second larger reservoir is in the trees above and in the photosynthetic tissues. The amount of nutrients in falling limbs is trivial and not even particularly high in P or N. It is mostly lignins and cellulous and carbon is not a limiting resource in a forest. Finally, burning wood does not destroy the nutrients, other than releasing carbon which is non-limiting. It does re-route the position. Canada doesn't seem to have a problem with lumbering which has been shown to be a major cause of decalcification of our soils. There is a huge difference though between nutrient removal associated with clear cutting and John Dow taking a few sticks for a personal fire.

Like always, these regulations result from stupidity and greediness of people. The no wood gathering rules are usually put up because some person gets it in their head that they are going to start harvesting trees so that they can commercially sell firewood. Then rules get tightened because people not knowing any better start hacking up life trees for fuel even though they make poor fuel. Then we get the folks who think that everytime they make a fire it has to be a huge 4-6 foot fire and they use up what would normally last 3-4 days in one sitting. Their big fires are also a heck of a lot more dangerous then the small, manageable ones.
 
Last edited:
The Smokies has a no gathering policy for dead wood. I have been told its because of damage done while collecting. Hell, I've been told before to not get off the trail, for fear it will damage plants that are protected. There are some pretty strict guidelines in the SMNP and Cherokee national forest. Small infractions that start at a $250 fine. I got a warning from a ranger in the CNF for collecting dead wood. Said it had been cut with a chainsaw. I told him I grabbed out of the bushes. The outdoors are getting alot smaller now, and thanks to private land ownership in the National Forest, hunting leases in the National forest, its happening at an alarming rate. I went 2 weeks ago and spent 2hrs trying to find a place I went to as a kid, only to find nothing but POSTED: NO TRESPASSING, ONLY TBBA LEASES HOLDERS ARE ALLOWED TO HUNT, CAMP, OR FISH ON THIS PROPERTY. 7.5 miles along one road had signs up every 100yds. This was in the Cherokee National Forest, south of Chilhowee lake. No collecting of deadwood? Hell, they won't even let me on the land. Moose
 
Most of the parks that I have been to in New England promote gathering of downed dead wood. You are actually prohibited to bring firewood in to the park. So it's either gather your own or buy theirs..
 
From what I can tell in the Adirondacks, aside from dry weather/forest fire conditions that will lead to a campfire ban (usually only in the middle part of summer, easy to live without a fire on these relatively rare occasions), the DEC will simply restrict over-camped areas for a few years. It can get pretty tough to find anything to burn in some spots, foraging walks of a quarter mile or more are not unheard of. I prefer to camp off the marked trail/established campsite system when possible, solves a lot of issues at once, and very unlikely to encounter other hikers or rangers.
 
Rules are for everyone so they have to include dumbasses who cut down live trees. The signs are there to protect high impact wilderness areas from becoming a barren desert. There is going to be more and more bans due to increased population growth. Get used to it.
 
HeavyHanded said:
From what I can tell in the Adirondacks, aside from dry weather/forest fire conditions that will lead to a campfire ban (usually only in the middle part of summer, easy to live without a fire on these relatively rare occasions), the DEC will simply restrict over-camped areas for a few years. It can get pretty tough to find anything to burn in some spots, foraging walks of a quarter mile or more are not unheard of. I prefer to camp off the marked trail/established campsite system when possible, solves a lot of issues at once, and very unlikely to encounter other hikers or rangers.
Click to expand...

I agree. I don't like to see anyone when I am out in the woods. Well thats not entirely true, but the more secluded, the better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top