Firewood Rip offs

[unclefuzz]

Do you fellow campers try to bring your own firewood when camping or do you allow yourselves to be ripped off by the local firewood scams located near to camp grounds?

On my last two excursions, I noticed that the campgrounds themselves forbade campers to bring in firewood (I understand the risk of bringing in foreign wood disease) but there were serious price fixing scams in the outlying areas selling wood. On both 4 day trips, I spent $90 on firewood. As someone who heats my home with wood, this rubs me to the wrong way.

Anyone else out there have opinions on this?

[terasec]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

yea, thats been going on for a while,
can easily spend +$100 on firewood while camping,
check states firewood transportation laws to see how to transport your own,
if you can legally transport the firewood, speak to the campground owner/manager, and explain that you know the restrictions of the law, but have your own in compliance with those laws,
state run campgrounds might be stricter, while privately run campgrounds may make exceptions
some allow a certain distance from the source,
some allow if you have a receipt if you purchased the firewood

[ddrinik]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

It depends on where the campground is. In WI you can only transport firewood 25 miles from its point of origin. I stayed at two state parks this past summer that were within the 25 miles radius. The first one I stayed at with my son we brought our own wood with us to realize there was a burn ban in place. Ended up taking the wood home with us and restacking it. The second time staying within the radius, my son, wife and one of my stepsons came with, and my sister-in-law and niece, how did not have their own supplies I had planned on taking wood with, but very quickly ran out of room in the car, and ended up not taking any with us.

Next summer if I stay at either of these parks it will depend on who is with me and how much stuff I have to bring if I will attempt to bring wood with me.

Dan

[Mike]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

Yes, this is a growing problem. Where we an 18" diameter "pile" of firewood sell for about $3.00. Some offer more wood, but that is common.

SO... what to do?

I gave up burning campfires. I saw hundreds of campsites all burning wood in their own little pits and I thought it such a waste and so contradictory to the ideals of natural preservation.

[Timberline]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

I haven't run into that much of an issue in Colorado. The most I have ever seen was about $9 or $10 for a quart of wood. Otherwise the price sits nicely around $4. Maybe it's because we've had so much beetle kill on the trees for the last few years that they couldn't really care less.

- Timberline

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

During our summer long fire ban, I used a camp chef propane fire ring. It is not the same as a real fire, but if you just want the feel of a fire, and to make smores, it works fine. Also, a lot easier to fire up a propane fire ring, than to gather and split wood. Real fire is nice, but the propane is a quick and easy sub.

[Mike]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

Great advice, Hogsnapper. I bring a big Bowsaw with me. Usually a quarter mile from the campites and there is plenty of wood right by the roadside you can cut and throw in your vehicle to haul back to camp.

[Pickled_Sour]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

Do you fellow campers try to bring your own firewood when camping or do you allow yourselves to be ripped off by the local firewood scams located near to camp grounds?

On my last two excursions, I noticed that the campgrounds themselves forbade campers to bring in firewood (I understand the risk of bringing in foreign wood disease) but there were serious price fixing scams in the outlying areas selling wood. On both 4 day trips, I spent $90 on firewood. As someone who heats my home with wood, this rubs me to the wrong way.

Anyone else out there have opinions on this?

I find it outrageous.. Is there anyway we can petition to congress? There is kind of a monopoly on it at the camp grounds.

[tplife]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

Pickled Sour, I like the cut of your Jib! :cool:
As we say here in Kalifornia, "Welcome to Obama's 2nd Term!" :eek:

[tplife]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

Great advice, Hogsnapper. I bring a big Bowsaw with me. Usually a quarter mile from the campites and there is plenty of wood right by the roadside you can cut and throw in your vehicle to haul back to camp.

Thanks Mike, for never failing to offer comic relief! I'm not much more of value than a country boy (swamper) so do ignore my advice. My little Husqvarna 355 Rancher is but a nabob of woodworking magic, but anyone who's run a Bowsaw across anything less than a rotten pine bough knows there ain't no Free Lunch! :cool:

[Phil_R]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

Wood for the campfire never seems a problem...



Phil

[TNONMYMIND]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

just got back from two days at state park here in texas...
we paid $5.31 for 7 pieces of wood which was still green as it
did nothing but smoke when it was burned...
only had a fire one night and only used 5 pieces(not very big to begin with).

wonder if there would be a problem with bringing scrap dimension lumber for burning?

[wildbill]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

I never buy or bring firewood although I do like a good campfire. My solution may not work for you or many people. I just do it the old fashioned way. Scrounging it out of the surrounding woods. I almost never camp in "campgrounds" Just sort of out of the way places on state land. A chainsaw is nice for this and I have used them for the purpose but mostly I just make a lazy man's fire. Drag any downfall you can, saw/break off the branches and other small stuff to use for kindling then lay the log over the fire until it burns through in the middle giving you two logs. Then lay them over the fire and burn them in two and so on......

Works for me but I can see where it wouldn't be the best solution for many folks.

[Logtec]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

Firewood in Ontario parks (Canada) is expensive, $9 a bag.
But the further you go from the big city the cheaper it gets.
There usually is people selling firewood from their homes around camp grounds at about 1/2 the price.

[Mike]

Re: Firewood Rip offs

I find it outrageous.. Is there anyway we can petition to congress? There is kind of a monopoly on it at the camp grounds.

Here in the forested midwest, we have a very real problem with pests like the ash borer beetle that is wiping out 75% of our ash forests in a decade. A few decades ago, it was the Dutch Elm disease that took nearly 90% of our elm trees.

So, just like trying to prevent water-born invasive plants and aquatic life, the states are trying to prevent the spread of insects and disease that threaten local forests by preventing the movement of cut wood. You know how it goes. A guy gets ash borer beetle in one of his trees at home. It kills the tree, he cuts it down and cuts it into fire wood, and brings the firewood camping at his favorite forest 200 miles away. Next thing you know, the ash borer beetle is spreading to the ash trees in that beautiful forest.

This is why there are regulations against bringing in firewood.

Campfires are nice in cold weather, but I suggest trying to find substitutes for fires, especially in the summertime. Some substitutes are candles or hobo fires (fires in tin cans that burn twigs, pinecones, etc) or justs a Coleman gas lantern or maybe just nothing at all. Look up to the sky and start studying astronomy.