Castanet

From the article: "... but is there really any need to have a wood fire when propane is so much easier, cleaner and safer?"

Here is a hint ... A computer screen-saver would be even easier and cleaner.

oldtrucker wrote: Or, am I wrong-has our society become so disconnected to nature and the outdoors that people have lost the simple ability to control fire?

One spark. Just one spark lifted up on the fire's updraft and then carried into the trees. A little breeze. Poof!

oldtrucker wrote:Or, am I wrong-has our society become so disconnected to nature and the outdoors that people have lost the simple ability to control fire?

Society has become disconnected in many more ways than just that.

I probably have more back country experience than 95% of the people here. Yet a few years ago one of the logs I threw on the fire must have had some pretty nasty pitch inside, and started crackling and spitting out sparks.
After that I choose to use my propane stove over a fire when it is dry out.

oldtrucker wrote:
Or, am I wrong-has our society become so disconnected to nature and the outdoors that people have lost the simple ability to control fire?

You are wrong. The bulk of fires started are human caused because the bulk of humans that go into the woods have no clue and/or have a clue but don't care. I drove up by Savona last week. There is about a 50 acre fire there that obviously started by the road side, some careless idiot throwing a cigarette out of the car, so yes, people have lost the ability to control a fire.

Not to mention, that fire is like a living thing, and sometimes does something out of control, and will start to spark. That's all it takes.

97 i canoed from Hinton to Ft MacMurray. 98 was 3 weeks of lake paddling in Norther Sask. Did 1600 km the first year. 900 km the second year. We made fires every night. Never had a problem.

It was always a challenge to get wood collected. Camp built. Keep in mind everything had to be cleaned up and we loaded the boats and headed out early every morning.

I agree with other posters. A small stove is probably better. However for what were doing it would bever have worked. Wet stuff tends not to burn that good. Yes we had dry bags. Weight was another issue. Lots of wood to be had in the bush.

On the Sask trip we actually got fire bound. There was a forest fire south of LaRonge. Could not leave camp for a few days due to extreme smoke. Could not meet our food drop. So we fished for 3 days. Was the best time of the whole trip.

^^^ Man that sounds cool.

This last mother’s day the family and I went for a drive out into Garnet Valley in behind Summerland. Had not been there before. Ended up stopping at a provincial campground at the end of the road. There we came across a smouldering campfire, with no one around. It was right next to a small creek. We are talking 10 feet from water. Was quite windy that day. I kicked a burning log into the water and used an old timmies cup to douse the rest. Took all off maybe 10 minutes. Was only a few years ago that there was a major forest fire out there!

People are just down right careless! Stupidity has just gotten the better of us and it’s the few that can wreck it for the rest.

One good thing is, my kids saw just how careless people can be. This was an eye-opener for them and I drove that point home quite hard.

Tony wrote:

oldtrucker wrote:
Or, am I wrong-has our society become so disconnected to nature and the outdoors that people have lost the simple ability to control fire?

You are wrong. The bulk of fires started are human caused because the bulk of humans that go into the woods have no clue and/or have a clue but don't care. I drove up by Savona last week. There is about a 50 acre fire there that obviously started by the road side, some careless idiot throwing a cigarette out of the car, so yes, people have lost the ability to control a fire.

Not to mention, that fire is like a living thing, and sometimes does something out of control, and will start to spark. That's all it takes.

so it started by the side of the road so it must have been a careless idiot with a cigarette, couldn't have been from a chain dragging on a truck or a spark from the exhaust or brakes or a piece of glass or a lightening strike and so on. you see someone throwing out a cigarette has absolutely nothing to do with a campfire unfortunately the only thing lost nowadays is peoples ability to think rationally

Ka-El wrote:

oldtrucker wrote: Or, am I wrong-has our society become so disconnected to nature and the outdoors that people have lost the simple ability to control fire?

One spark. Just one spark lifted up on the fire's updraft and then carried into the trees. A little breeze. Poof!

Wood fires, even at home for a fireplace, stove, campfire or furnace, pollutes. Raw ugly filthy pollution. The tree spent it's entire life absorbing carbon and creating oxygen. Burning the wood reverses the whole thing and creates horrible health problems.

barbie need to try to become connected to reality and start regulating things that actually do some good. Ban wood burning unless with a very expensive permit. Reduce flying by at least 50% just to start. Think about it - nobody really needs to fly anywhere for any reason other than a life in danger. Funeral? Wedding? Send a card. Holiday locally. No need to fly to Europe or Mexico or Hawaii. If CO2 is so horrible, restrict carbonated beverages.

ninetyninepct wrote:[
Wood fires, even at home for a fireplace, stove, campfire or furnace, pollutes. Raw ugly filthy pollution. The tree spent it's entire life absorbing carbon and creating oxygen. Burning the wood reverses the whole thing and creates horrible health problems.

barbie need to try to become connected to reality and start regulating things that actually do some good. Ban wood burning unless with a very expensive permit. Reduce flying by at least 50% just to start. Think about it - nobody really needs to fly anywhere for any reason other than a life in danger. Funeral? Wedding? Send a card. Holiday locally. No need to fly to Europe or Mexico or Hawaii. If CO2 is so horrible, restrict carbonated beverages.

I will happily stop using my wood stove as soon you step up and pay my power bill for heating my home with electricity until then choke on my smoke

Tony wrote:You are wrong. The bulk of fires started are human caused because the bulk of humans that go into the woods have no clue and/or have a clue but don't care.

No, YOU are wrong. Here is a table showing fire statistics for the past decade and only in 2 years were more than 50% of the fires that season, human caused. Some years, it was in the 20 percentile range. And many of these would be due to accidents -- hot brakes, sparks from vehicles, vehicle fires, etc. etc. etc. -- things other than outright negligence.

You are wildly generalizing, with no data or proof to back up your allegations. In my 55+ years in the back country of BC, I've never seen a fire started due to human stupidity. That might be more good luck than anything else, but it's true. Idiots who start fires through careless smoking or unattended fires are in the minority.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/about-bcws/wildfire-statistics/wildfire-averages

OldIslander wrote:No, YOU are wrong. Here is a table showing fire statistics for the past decade and only in 2 years were more than 50% of the fires that season, human caused. Some years, it was in the 20 percentile range. And many of these would be due to accidents -- hot brakes, sparks from vehicles, vehicle fires, etc. etc. etc. -- things other than outright negligence.

You are wildly generalizing, with no data or proof to back up your allegations. In my 55+ years in the back country of BC, I've never seen a fire started due to human stupidity. That might be more good luck than anything else, but it's true. Idiots who start fires through careless smoking or unattended fires are in the minority.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/about-bcws/wildfire-statistics/wildfire-averages

Exactly. Wish I could like this post twice.

So many people have jumped to the conclusion that the bulk of wildfires are caused by off road vehicles and campfires. Hence the "ban it all" crusade. But that's nothing new I guess - society is getting lazier an lazier. Nobody wants to bother with finding factual information or to spend the time to truly understand the problem. They prefer the no effort knee jerk response method.

TylerM4 wrote:So many people have jumped to the conclusion that the bulk of wildfires are caused by off road vehicles and campfires.

Thought the bulk was caused by cigarettes? Oh wait, that was the narrative in the other thread

Some of the last year’s fires were highly suspicious. I would suspect, there are quite a few greenie nuts out there, willing to “prove” their causes.

Is this about roasting your weenies and marshmallows over a flaming vampire?