Yosemite Puts the Ax to Firewood

Some happy campers are bound to be outraged when they discover that Yosemite National Park officials have banned the collection of firewood from the Yosemite Valley floor. What is camping without a campfire? But the Park Service should be commended for its action, which does not, after all, mean an end to campfires in the valley.

Campers still can bring their own wood--which many now do anyway--or buy bundles of firewood in the valley store, or use charcoal briquettes. But would-be Paul Bunyans still may wonder why they no longer are allowed to tramp off into the timber with their trusty axes to fulfill one of the age-old traditions of camp leaders.

There are two good reasons. One is the reduction of the pall of smoke that plagues the enclosed valley. Much of the wood now collected within Yosemite Valley is green, making for campfires that are long on smoke but not much good for anything else. Secondly, fallen wood contributes to the natural process by providing food and habitat for creatures and it returns nutrients to the soil as it rots. It is a vital part of the forest’s life cycle.

Yosemite officials noted that downed wood can be collected in other areas of the park up to 9,600 feet above sea level. Wood fires have been banned in the high country of Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, and some National Forest wilderness areas, for some time because of the depletion of wood in popular backpacking areas over the years. Light gas stoves are much better, more dependable and cleaner for cooking.

To many, a campfire creates a warm, cozy enclave in a seemingly hostile outdoors. But a considerable number of campers and wilderness travelers have discovered, along with walking guru Colin Fletcher, the joys of a fireless camp. In his new book, “The Secret Worlds of Colin Fletcher,” he writes of one back-country trip: “The day faded toward extinction. But I did not light a fire. I like to watch night fall, then become part of the shadowed darkness, and a fire, for all its cheer, cuts you off.”