LNT Fifth Principle: Minimize Campfire Impacts

In recent decades, the number and size of wildfires has been steadily increasing. While several factors can start a fire, you can avoid becoming one of those factors by following the fifth principle of LNT: minimize campfire impacts. Not only can you avoid starting a wildfire, but you can also protect the environment from impact and invasive species.

The first thing you think of is preventing wildfires.

It's hard not to with this principle with all the recent major wildfires. So we'll start here.

The first thing you need to consider is, should you even build a fire? Check the fire risk before you head out and find out if there are any burn bans. You might be able to get by with just a camp stove as a safer option.

When building a fire, try to use an existing fire ring. Mound fires or fire pans are also options for containing your fire. Burn everything to white ash, soak with water, and scatter. Feel the ashes to make sure they're cool before you leave them; on many hiking forums I see multiple pictures each year from people who discovered smoldering ashes left behind and had to scramble to put them out before a large fire started.

This principle is about more than fire prevention.

Remember, LNT is all about minimizing our impact overall, so we have a few other things to consider.

If you're in the backcountry, make sure you aren't building your fire over delicate flora. Harvest firewood in a dispersed manner to minimize your impact, and if you're in a high alpine or a desert environment be mindful if there's sustainable firewood available for harvest. Once your fire is out completely, disperse your impact so the next person wandering through won't be able to tell there was ever a fire there. If there are established fire rings, use them instead of building your own.

Don't move firewood.

Many states have laws that prevent bringing firewood across state lines. This is to prevent the spread of invasive species that might be hitching a ride in the firewood. A pest that would likely be limited to a small area can travel hundreds of miles via firewood, causing a fresh outbreak.

If you buy sealed firewood with a USDA APHIS heat treatment seal, you're generally good to transport it as long as it stays sealed until you get to your destination (important note: this is not the same as a "kiln-dried" label). Otherwise, look to either forage your own or purchase firewood locally, preferably within 10 miles of your intended campfire when possible.