Free Firewood, how common is this?

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Be a Camphost with the USFS

free firewood used to be common in some national forests, especially back before they turned the campgrounds over to commercial concessionaires :M. In one USFS cg in Michigan, they had a big pile of slabs from a sawmill. Probably a good way to get rid of the slabs in those days.

The AEP Recreation Lands in Ohio have free firewood....and free camping too. At least they used to have free firewood. I just looked and no longer see it mentioned.

USFS camps with an onsite host are most likely operated by concessionaire. Firewood in a camp operated so would not be 'free'. It would be brought in by that operator.
Firewood on honor was abused and was a considerable cause of the proposed 'sequesture' closure of the Elk Mountain camp in Wind Cave NP this year .
Elk Mt. is operated by the NFPS, with an onsite host ,reopened most of the camp in may with caveat no on honor firewood, ranger programs, etc. until the budget balances. their 2014 proposal is to increase rates to match operation costs.(50%) $12-$18
To visit there will still a bargain, and whats a few bucks for firewood to keep the camp open?
Max
We all benefit from our public camps, in one way, you in yours. Noone benefits if they are closed. Lets keep them open.

n7bsn wrote:
Mrkoje, you need to go further afield, lots of USFS campgrounds, in Montana, have hosts. I can tell you that ones like Many Pines and Kings Hill have had hosts the last time I was through there, and we both know those are close to Great Falls.

Free wood is uncommon, used to be more common. My guess is that it's beetle-killed wood and the FS just wants it burned up (ie don't take it home with you burn it there)

I've driven past Many Pines many times :B but I've never camped there because it didn't look like a very good spot. We've gone to Dry Wolf on the East side of the forest by Stanford and enjoyed it but I've never seen a host there. That could be though because it was late September the last time I was there. I might have to give Many Pines a try in the future. Though it is tough to beat the spots out on the Hughesville Road that are no-pay and right on the trails.

(In my experience) you just came at the right time. Maintenance around campground etc etc.. Cheaper and better to give it away to campers.
Many USFS campgrounds have hosts. See link for long list of USFS campground hosts. And one of my favorite web sites. http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/host/host.htm

The only time I have seen free firewood was at a private campground in middle Georgia. The owners had just cleared a lot of land to add more campsites and had the cut wood stacked in a huge pile with a sign that said "Free firewood for use in the campground only". Lots used it that weekend and barely made a dent in the pile.

Mrkoje, you need to go further afield, lots of USFS campgrounds, in Montana, have hosts. I can tell you that ones like Many Pines and Kings Hill have had hosts the last time I was through there, and we both know those are close to Great Falls.

Free wood is uncommon, used to be more common. My guess is that it's beetle-killed wood and the FS just wants it burned up (ie don't take it home with you burn it there)

Yes, forest service campgrounds have hosts. However, we've never seen free firewood (other than perhaps a newly cut tree in the campground).

There are great provincial parks in the Yukon that offer free firewood though, nicely cut and split, in case it's on your way!

It helps keep out the buggy fire wood perhaps and gives them a way to get rid of local produced wood from park upkeep.

I find it kind of odd that a USFS campground has a host! I've never seen any hosts at the USFS "campgrounds" up here.

With that being said at about every USFS spot that I've been to I've seen left over firewood that wasn't used by the previous campers. I always make it a point to at least leave one or two good logs if I have some left for the next campers just in case they forgot to bring some. Kind of a pay-it-forward deal. It really helped me out once when I forgot the bin of wood in the garage and didn't even realize it until that night when we wanted to cook dinner!