Do campgrounds provide firewood? Or in other words, should I keep my 12" chainsaw or sell it?
dreamjosie said
08:36 PM Aug 26, 2006
Almost all campgrounds, including state parks, sell bundles of firewood. It's convenient, but not always the most cost effective. We usual keep our eyes open as we drive around an area for people/places selling wood as it is usually less expensive that way.
Tom N Gina said
04:12 AM Aug 27, 2006
Hi,
I would keep the saw provided you have the room. But then consider the gas and oil maybe a small electric might be a better option. Seems that even though I do not use mine very often it sure does come in handy when I need it. Now for the firewood thing................ as kids we used to clean up the campground so to speak, under one condition, that being the sight was not in use. Many times that was enough to get by for a night while traveling. If you are traveling through the West depending on where you are you may not be able to have a fire. Many areas have fire bands in the later Summer/Fall&Winter because of the drought situation here. Please check that out before you make plans to start one.
Other options: if in an area that has woods we would go ask some of the locals if there was a place to get firewood. In the West there are many areas that have Forest Service Land however remember it is against the law to cut down standing timber even if it is dead. If you get caught it is a pretty stiff fine for the "federal" crime. You can call the Forest Service Office locally and they will tell you where the open areas for cutting are and what you need to do. The other option I have used is check the area for a saw mill. They may have a slash/trim pile and many times you can find good dry wood there and they are very reasonable if not free usually. These options come in handy when you are staying in an area for a while.
If traveling to a National or State Park I would bring wood with from home where ever that was last. We never had to pay for a campfire using these methods which left the extra cash for "SMORE" material and that my friends is the best part!
Later..........................
jomago said
01:43 PM Aug 27, 2006
Don
Growing up in your part of the country back in the 20's/30's, we always had a cedar stump fire on the shore next to our cabin on Higgans Lake. Lions Manor Township has annexed that area and as I understand it, you can't have an RV in the township.
To your question on fire wood, the resorts/parks we visit only allow fires in fire rings in approved camp sites. But that is prohibited in most areas we visit because of the severe lack of rain the last few years and the county/state outside fire bans. Also the places we visit only allow picking up loose wood (if you can find it). You can not cut any trees(etc) or even hang anything from trees. Most of these parks are in areas that have trees (a lot of cedar) and I have seen one fire in a stand of cedar and believe me it jumped accross a 100 foot stretch of trees in a couple of seconds, faster than you could get out of the way.
The parks do have member volunteers who trim trees and sometimes you can get some of the trimming. I agree a small electric chain saw is, IMHO, best.
mcw50 said
10:30 PM Aug 28, 2006
Our experience this summer has been that many places do not allow fires of any kind due to drought conditions. When fires are allowed, they must be in the provided fire rings.
ALSO....in the Great Lakes area (Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois) most campgrounds DO NOT allow you to bring in your own firewood.....all firewood must be obtained (purchased, usually) from the campground management. There is a real problem with insects that destroy trees.
galeanna said
07:00 PM Aug 29, 2006
The insect in MI-OH etc it the emerald ash borer...you can't even take wood from county to county in areas of MI
Hi,
I would keep the saw provided you have the room. But then consider the gas and oil maybe a small electric might be a better option. Seems that even though I do not use mine very often it sure does come in handy when I need it. Now for the firewood thing................ as kids we used to clean up the campground so to speak, under one condition, that being the sight was not in use. Many times that was enough to get by for a night while traveling. If you are traveling through the West depending on where you are you may not be able to have a fire. Many areas have fire bands in the later Summer/Fall&Winter because of the drought situation here. Please check that out before you make plans to start one.
Other options: if in an area that has woods we would go ask some of the locals if there was a place to get firewood. In the West there are many areas that have Forest Service Land however remember it is against the law to cut down standing timber even if it is dead. If you get caught it is a pretty stiff fine for the "federal" crime. You can call the Forest Service Office locally and they will tell you where the open areas for cutting are and what you need to do. The other option I have used is check the area for a saw mill. They may have a slash/trim pile and many times you can find good dry wood there and they are very reasonable if not free usually. These options come in handy when you are staying in an area for a while.
If traveling to a National or State Park I would bring wood with from home where ever that was last. We never had to pay for a campfire using these methods which left the extra cash for "SMORE" material and that my friends is the best part!
Later..........................
Don
Growing up in your part of the country back in the 20's/30's, we always had a cedar stump fire on the shore next to our cabin on Higgans Lake. Lions Manor Township has annexed that area and as I understand it, you can't have an RV in the township.
To your question on fire wood, the resorts/parks we visit only allow fires in fire rings in approved camp sites. But that is prohibited in most areas we visit because of the severe lack of rain the last few years and the county/state outside fire bans. Also the places we visit only allow picking up loose wood (if you can find it). You can not cut any trees(etc) or even hang anything from trees. Most of these parks are in areas that have trees (a lot of cedar) and I have seen one fire in a stand of cedar and believe me it jumped accross a 100 foot stretch of trees in a couple of seconds, faster than you could get out of the way.
The parks do have member volunteers who trim trees and sometimes you can get some of the trimming. I agree a small electric chain saw is, IMHO, best.
Our experience this summer has been that many places do not allow fires of any kind due to drought conditions. When fires are allowed, they must be in the provided fire rings.
ALSO....in the Great Lakes area (Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois) most campgrounds DO NOT allow you to bring in your own firewood.....all firewood must be obtained (purchased, usually) from the campground management. There is a real problem with insects that destroy trees.