 The
traditional campfire seems to be coming under increasing
scrutiny, and many are now considering it as an unnecessary
trapping of wilderness travel.
Some feel that it is an outdated practice which has no
place as an activity in modern wilderness travel.
The proponents of no-fire camping would have us use lanterns or
flashlights as a light source, and a stove as the only method of
cooking. Depending on the area we are in, there is probably some
merit to this approach. Many of the most heavily-used areas have
been picked over to the point that there is literally
no burnable material
left.
I would be reluctant to
say that campfires are never appropriate. There is something
integral to the camping and canoeing experience in sitting
around a fire at night. I believe that the approach we must take
is to be selective about when and where we build a campfire.
First of all, we should
recognize that for cooking, a stove is always a better way to
go. Stoves are cleaner and more efficient than wood fires for
cooking. We will get our morning coffee and all of our meals
sooner, and spend less time scrubbing pots if than if we cook
over a fire. This leaves us with the question of the actual
campfire - the fire that we use to warm us, dry our socks and
stare into during the quiet evening as we enjoy each others
company and reminisce about the day's activities. Are such fires
appropriate? Some will disagree, but I will give this type of
fire a qualified yes.
If we are in a location
where there is plentiful driftwood and deadwood, we can enjoy a
fire without major damage to the environment. The trick is
knowing when we are in such an area, and how to properly situate
the fire. The following are guidelines to follow if we decide a
fire is appropriate.
- We should never cut or
peel bark from a living tree as fuel. Green wood doesn't
burn, and peeling bark can kill a tree.
- If there is an
existing fire ring at our site, we should use it. Multiple
fire pits are an eyesore.
- If no fire pit exists,
we should make one in the proper area. If a flat area of
bedrock is available, that is probably the best location. If
no rock is available and the fire pit must be put on soil,
we have to be certain that the area is cleaned down to
mineral soil before lighting a fire. Organic soils, peat and
forest duff can burn invisibly underground for long periods
of time, eventually re-igniting.
- If we create a new
fire pit in an area which is likely to be re-used by future
canoeists, it is probably best to leave it in place when we
leave. A single neat fire ring is easier on a site than
multiple pits left by subsequent campers.
- It should be
unnecessary to even mention this, but in spite of what
Smokey the Bear has been telling us for years, we still
manage to burn down large portions of our wilderness by
failing to properly extinguish campfires. Fires have to be
drowned completely. We use our bailing bucket and pour water
until the ashes are absolutely soaked and cold to the touch.
If we can't hold our hand in the ashes, the fire isn't out
yet!
- If we are camping in
an area that is not likely to see another group in the near
future, it may be best to completely dismantle the pit and
remove all traces. After the fire is burned down to ashes,
doused and cooled, the ashes can be scattered in a wide area
of bush behind the site. Blackened stones can be thrown into
the water or scattered. We also have to remember that there
is little point in disposing of ashes and stones if we are going
to leave a sooty smudge on the bedrock or a dead, burned
section of ground cover. If the fire pit is going to be
removed, we can cover the bedrock with sand or soil before
we light our fire and this material can be disposed of with
the rest of the materials. If we have made our fire on the
soil, we can cover the area with twigs, leaf mold and other
organic material to disguise it.
- We should keep in mind
that we're building a campfire, not a bonfire. Huge fires
consume vast quantities of wood and are unnecessary. Most of
the material we should be using is very small - often no
bigger than our thumb and nothing bigger than our wrist.
- The fact that wood is
dead does not always make it appropriate for use in a fire.
Standing dead trees provide valuable habitat for birds and
small mammals. Fallen dead wood is needed to replenish the
soil in an area. Nature works in cycles - trees grow by
absorbing nutrients from the soil. As these trees die, they
break down and decompose, returning organic material to the
ground and beginning the cycle again. If we remove all of
the deadwood from an area, we pull an important component
out of this equation and disrupt the cycle. We have to make
a conscious effort to gather dead wood from as wide an area
as possible, not just from the immediate campsite.
- When we leave a site,
we should make sure that all of the material in the pit is
completely burned. The time when we're loading our canoes in
the morning is not the time to be throwing a huge log on the
fire. Nobody enjoys arriving at a site to find a pile of
soaking wet, charred logs in the fire ring
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