8
Wednesday, June 3, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Dispersed camping raises concerns
Keep your campfire
from starting a wildfire
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
Sitting around a camp-
fire is one of the special
times we all enjoy, but
campfires are also a major
cause of wildfires. May is
Wildfire Awareness Month,
and the Pacific Northwest
Coordination Group
urges campers to follow
these basic outdoor safety
tips:
" Know before you go:
Before going camping,
always contact the forest dis-
trict, agency or landowner
first to learn if there are any
current campfire restrictions
where you plan to recreate.
" Have water and fire
tools on site:
Bring a shovel and a
bucket of water to extin-
guish any escaped embers.
When you are ready to
leave, drown all embers with
water, stir the coals, and
drown again. Repeat until
the fire is dead out. If it is
too hot to touch, it is too hot
to leave.
" Select the right spot:
Where campfires are
allowed, choose a site with
an existing ring. Fire pits in
established campgrounds are
the best spots. If you choose
to build a campfire, avoid
building it near your tent,
structures, vehicles, shrubs
or trees, and be aware of
low-hanging branches over-
head. Clear the site down to
bare soil, at least five feet on
all sides, and circle it with
rocks. Store unused fire-
wood a good distance from
the fire.
" Keep your campfire
small:
A campfire is less likely
to escape control if it is kept
small. A large fire may cast
hot embers long distances.
Add firewood in small
amounts as existing material
is consumed.
" Attend your campfire at
all times:
A campfire left unat-
tended for even a few min-
utes can grow into a costly,
damaging wildfire. Stay
with your campfire from
start to finish until it is dead
out, as required by law. That
ensures any escaped sparks
or embers can be extin-
guished quickly.
" Consider alternatives to
a campfire this summer:
Portable camp stoves are
a safer option to campfires at
any time of year. Areas that
prohibit campfires outside
maintained campgrounds
with established fire pits
often allow camp stoves.
" Never use gasoline or
other accelerants:
Don9t use flammable or
combustible liquids, such as
gasoline, propane or lighter
fluid, to start or increase
your campfire.
" Burn only local wood:
Hauling your firewood
to a remote campground can
potentially transport inva-
sive species. Instead, buy
it where you9ll burn it or
gather wood on site where
permitted. State regulations
prohibit the open burning
of any other material that
creates dense, toxic smoke
or noxious odors. Burning
paper and cardboard can
also easily fly up to start
new fires.
Escaped campfires can
be costly. State and fed-
eral law require the proper
clearing, building, attend-
ing and extinguishing of
open fires at any time of
year. While citations and
fines may apply, the biggest
potential cost for an escaped
campfire is firefighting
costs. These can range
from a few hundred to tens
of thousands of dollars or
more.
Campgrounds remained
closed over Memorial Day
weekend, due to COVID-19
restrictions. But that didn9t
mean campers stayed home
4 they simply came to Sisters
and set up camp dispersed out
across the national forest.
And that raised concerns
from local residents about
trash left in the woods, trees
cut down, and campfires left
smoldering.
Dispersed camping is
allowed in the forest, and it
occurs every year. But Sisters
District Ranger Ian Reid
acknowledged that the ongo-
ing closure of campgrounds
made for more of the phe-
nomenon, particularly in the
popular Metolius Basin.
Reid said that camp-
grounds are starting to come
online. Perry South and
Monte Campground in the
Metolius Basin opened May
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29. As more campgrounds
open, dispersed camping is
expected to fall off.
Reid also said that his staff
is trying to balance the need
to minimize contact with the
public to meet COVID-19
prevention protocols while
still maintaining a presence in
the forest. They are, however,
on full alert for fires.
<We are staffed seven
days (a week) with our fire
resources and we are patrol-
ling for campfires,= he told
The Nugget. <We found one
(smoldering) last week.=
There is no current restric-
tion on campfires, but that
will likely change soon as fire
season gets into full swing.
<We9re evaluating that on
a day-to-day, week-to-week
basis,= Reid said.
Reid noted that cutting
standing dead trees is actually
allowed, except for sensitive
areas like riparian zones, as
long as the trees are smaller
then 24 inches in diameter and
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are within 150 feet of a road.
<Cutting green trees is pro-
hibited,= he said. <It always
is.=
Reid acknowledged locals9
concern about sanitation with
hordes of campers disperse
through the woods.
<We do patrol for sanitary
conditions and we can cite for
that,= Reid said.
Campers are expected to
dump effluent outside the for-
est at approved dumpsites.
The Forest Service is also
enforcing its 14-day stay limit
for dispersed camping.
As state parks and national
forest campgrounds reopen,
campers are expected to
return to those spots, although
some citizens have expressed
concerns that dispersed camp-
ing might become a habit. In
all cases, campers are asked
to behave responsibly, leave
their site clean and their fires
dead out, and treat the forest
and the community around it
with respect.
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