Tag: firewood

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11 Do’s and Do Not of Campsite Set Up

This image depicts campers doing crafts at Ventura KOA

When you Arrive at the Campground

You have searched out the best place to take your family for your weekend adventure, you arrive at the campground, now you need to layout your camp site. You maybe saying to yourself that it isn’t a big deal, just set up your tent and your good to go. Yet there are 11 do’s and don’t considerations that must be planned out as you are setting up. You should survey whether you are camped on flat land or a mountainside. What direction is the wind blowing? Where are the restrooms? Is there a water source nearby? Are there trees in the campsite?

If you are camping in a campground that has a table and fire pit, you likely will not have full control of how the campsite is laid out. But if you are camping on BLM land, disperse camping, or on vacant land that you own, there will be considerations that you must plan out for your safety and enjoyment. The best way to explain how to plan your campsite set up to put the Do’s and Do Nots in list form.

The Do’s and Do Nots of campsite set up

                Do set your tent up on high ground away from any gullies. Make sure fire pit smoke will not blow toward your tent.

                Do pile your firewood no less than ten feet from your camp-fire location.

                Do set your kitchen and clean up area well away from firepit and tent site.

                Do use wide web straps if you plan to hang a hammock on a tree, ropes will damage the bark.

                Do store axes and hatchets safely in their sheathes and away from any walking path

                Do make sure your latrine is set up well away from your main campsite, check for poisonous plants and water sources. You do not want to pollute a river, stream, or lake with sewage.

Do not set up a campfire on the ground unless you have cleared the ground ten feet around the camp-fire location and made sure that you are not under a tree or low hanging branches.

                Do not hang any ropes from trees in your chosen camp site area

                Do not put nails in trees to hang anything, learn how to lash a hanger with rope to the tree.

                Do not ever have a gas or propane lantern hanging against a tree, the tree may start on fire.

                Do not have any wood hanging out of a fire pit, ever.

                Do not use freshly cut wood in a fire pit, it will produce flying embers and excessive smoke.

When you are breaking down camp

When you are getting ready to leave a camp site, make sure that you Leave No Trace of your being there. Clean all trash that may have fallen, clean up cigarette butts, and bottle caps, if you made a fire ring then clean up the ashes and distribute the rocks, if you dug trenches around your tent then rake them out, and definitely do not leave a camp fire burning unattended at any time during your adventure.

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Consequences of the Unattended Fire

A employee birthday party at Lake Piru in 2016

Irresponsible

Are you like me, and believe that it is irresponsible for anyone to leave a campfire unattended? Would you leave a firepit in your backyard unattended? Do you believe that when you are camping, it is okay to go for a hike, go to bed, or leave the campground for the weekend, with a fire going? Many people do not think it is a big deal. As a campground host, I say that these practices are irresponsible. Between my wife and I, we put out 8 to 10 fires every weekend in our campground. I often tell people that, as a campground host, I should never have to put out any fire but the one in my campsite.

Other Unsafe practices

There are two practices that cause great distress for a camp host or fire official. One is having wood in a firepit that does not fully fit in the fire pit. A campground axe or hatchet does not cost a lot and are easy to learn how to use. All campers need to practice the common sense principle of safety first, when they are having a fire at their site. The second is choosing to have a fire on the ground when a safer firepit is available. The camper needs to know that, if a Forest Ranger catches a camper having  a fire on the ground or allowing wood to hang out of a firepit, they will receive a hefty fine.

It only takes a spark

It only takes a spark to get a fire started. When you start a fire using match, it is the creation of a spark that lights the fire.  One spark from an unattended fire and a gust of wind blowing that spark into a carpet of pine needles, dry grass, or even a camper’s firewood pile could cause a forest fire. Most forest campgrounds are located off windy mountain roads with only one way in and one way out. You may not be able to out-run a forest fire. Be fire safe. Put out your fire.

What are the consequences?

Most campers do not seem to understand the consequences of a forest fire that they may have caused. If fire officials determine that you were responsible for causing a forest fire, you will have to reimburse the forest department, county, or state, the costs related to putting the fire out. A recent Southern California fire cost $200 million to put out. You should also be aware that, if it is determined that your negligence caused a fatality, you can be charged with involuntary manslaughter and go to prison.

What is the big deal?

All campers should act in a responsible manner when having a fire. Unsafe practices and a spark is all it takes to burn down a forest. Never leave a fire unattended, this includes going to bed for the evening when camping, never go on a hike or worse, leave the campground, with a fire burning. All campers should know that there are consequences in place for those that cause a forest fire, consequences that can change your whole life.

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5 Things to Include on the Camping Checklist

Hiking equipment Picture


Reason for A Checklist

If you are like me, you have planned the perfect camping trip, driven 100 miles or more from home, chose a location that is miles from the nearest store, and realized that you forgot the lantern, matches, utensils, plates, the camp stove, the coffee pot (a must have), or the map to your chosen location. This is not a to-do list; it is a way to make sure you remember everything you need. Naturally, your camping checklist will change slightly according to the season you are camping in, in fact, you should consider making your seasonal lists ahead of time.

5 Things to Include on Your List?

  1. Camp Needs- Tent or shelter (check that all parts included; stakes, poles, etc.), ground cloth ( I always use a ground cloth under my tent to insulate and prevent sharp objects from piercing the floor of the tent), sleeping bag or bed roll, lantern, camp stove, fuel for lantern and camp stove (propane, white gas, or kerosene), flashlight (pack extra batteries), firewood (although you should practice Burn It Were You Buy It), matches
  2. Cooking- Camp Stove, fuel for stove (either propane, white gas, or kerosene), set of pots and pans, skillet, serving spoon, spatula, ladle, condiments like salt and pepper, coffee maker, other kitchen items according to your camping trip menu,
  3. Clean Up- Dish washing tubs, soap, scouring pad or dish rag, drying towel
  4. Toiletries- Brush or comb, deodorant, wash cloth, biodegradable hand soap, towel, shampoo, makeup
  5. Activities- Fishing trip? Rod, reel, creel, tackle box, net, stringer, bait; Mountain biking? Bikes, tire pump, safety gear and helmet for children, goggles, gloves; Beach? Towel, children’s toys, correct SPF sunscreen for your complexion, umbrella.

Seasonal Lists

Obviously, the items on your list are going to change according to the season and location that you are camping in. I did not put clothing on the what to include in your list because I do not what season you are camping in. Winter camping requires clothing items to prevent hypothermia, spring requires warm and cold weather clothing, summer may work with tee-shirts and short pants, and fall is like the spring.

A camping list will help you to remember all of the items that will make your camping trip memorable.

Your list will change according to where you are camping, but the basics will always be listable. Your list should include, camp site needs, cooking needs, clean up, personal toiletries, activities, and seasonal clothing items. Go out into the woods and make memories.                                                       

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Transporting Invasive Species in Firewood

Buy It Where You Burn It poster

Burn it Where You Buy it

Burn It Where You Buy It is a slogan for the Firewood Task Force. This organization is educating the public on what happens when you move firewood from one location to another. Namely the transporting of invasive species. Non-native insects and tree disease have been identified as the cause for the decimation of California, Oregon, Washington, and now Western Canada’s forests.

Why is this a Problem for Campers?

Over one million Americans either travel or live in their RVs. Just last year in 2018, over 10.5 million households owned an RV. Millions of other Americans are choosing to do stacations, camping locally instead of taking road trips. If each of these campers or RVers moved firewood from one forest to another, the spread of invasive species can multiply exponentially.

What is at Stake?

Years of drought have left our forest trees dry and vulnerable to insects. A healthy tree has moisture and sap to help it to fend off invaders. In a wildfire, dry trees burn at a faster rate than healthy trees. We can look at the loss of 29,570 acres of Lassen National Forest in Northern California in 2020, in fact, in 2018 the entire city of Paradise burned to the ground. The Sierra Nevada forest near Yosemite in Central California, has miles of burned out forest land that is currently closed to the public for reforesting efforts, due to past wildfires. The San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear, California has a forest that has been severely damaged by the bark beetle. Nearly every forest in the warmer regions of California, Oregon, and Washington show the signs of the bark beetle.

Just one Invader

There are many different invasive species and plant diseases that are being moved throughout the Western American forests. The Bark Beetle, part of the family of beetles known as Scolytidae, is only one of them. This is an insect the size of a grain of rice. These beetles eat the bark or phloem, of a tree. This invasive insect has migrated from Central America, possible in crates of produce, to the Mid-West. The beetle burrows into the bark of a tree, sends out pheromones, and hundreds of other beetles join them to attack a tree. They lay thousands of eggs under the bark of the tree, and suck the moisture out of the tree, then move on to surrounding trees.

How are they moved?

A camper or homeowner, that unknowingly purchases firewood from an infected forest, and moves it to another location, is in fact complicit in the destruction of our forest resources. Imagine this, a camper brings a bundle or infected wood to a forest to have a campfire, they have one or two pieces of said wood left, they leave the wood behind, and the bark beetle finds a new forest to attack.

We need to learn to’ Burn It Where We Buy It’ so we can stop the spread of invasive species in our forest. Know what is at stake, possible massive, out of control wildfires. The loss of, not only human life, homes, and entire forests. All it takes is one invasive species. The public can help to curtail the spread of invasive species. Go to the U.S. Forest website nsa.gov/burnitwhereyoubuyit and learn more, or click the link below.

Click this link to view a video about Burn It Where You But It.