How To Build A Campfire And The Preparation

If you plan to build a campfire, be sure that the area you are hiking in allows fires and if they are required to be built in developed fire pits. Before beginning to build your fire, be sure to have water available nearby and a shovel to throw dirt on the fire if it gets out of hand. Next, there should be a proper fire pit. If there isn’t one already, build a small fire ring with rocks. To prevent wind from blowing your fire out, create a depression in the ground 3-6 inches deep inside the fire ring.

If you plan to make a traditional wood campfire, the next step is to search for and gather 3 types of materials:

Tinder: Small materials that will ignite easily with a spark kindling such as dry grasses, shredded bark, fungus, or mosses. To spark, this material needs to be as dry and finely shredded as possible.

Kindling: Medium sized materials that will catch flame from the tinder quickly such as dry leaves, small twigs and sticks, or larger pieces of bark. For the kindling to catch fire, it must consist of small, dry items.

Wood logs: This is the large, sustainable material used to keep the fire going once it has caught flame from the kindling. The wood should be as dead and dry as possible to catch on fire faster. Find various sized logs to use once the fire gets larger and use an axe or knife to cut the wood into more combustible pieces.

Remember, only you can prevent wildfires!

 

Firewood Alert: Destructive Insects May Be Hitching A Ride ( Ban of Firewood In GSMNP )

The possession of firewood, whether hardwood or softwood, originating from a location for which a federal or state firewood quarantine is in effect is prohibited in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This closure prohibits the movement of firewood into the park from counties adjacent to the park for which a federal or state quarantine is in place, even if the quarantine allows for movement within the county. Failure to comply may result in a citation or seizure of firewood. Please see the list of quarantined states and counties.
Firewood which is in its original packaging stamped with a USDA - APHIS - PPQ shield stating that the wood is certified under one or more sections of federal regulation 7 CFR 301 is allowed. Also firewood which is purchased from a park concessionaire is allowed.
An infested log found in Tennessee. The serpentine markings on the wood are the feeding tunnels created by emerald ash borer larva.
Several types of destructive insects may be hiding in firewood campers bring from outside the park. The forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park could be devastated by these insects. To prevent this from occurring, firewood cannot be brought into the park from quarantined states or counties.
Destructive Insect Pests
Emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle are originally from Asia but have been accidentally introduced to North America, while Thousand Cankers Disease of walnut is caused by a non-native fungus carried by small twig beetles.
Emerald ash borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America since its discovery here in 2002. The adult beetles eat ash foliage but cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. More information about Emerald ash borer is available from the following links: 
Asian longhorned beetle has been found in Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Most Asian longhorned beetle infested trees have been in landscape settings so far. Both of these beetles lay eggs on trees and their young bore through trees as they grow. Infested trees must be cut, chipped and burned to prevent spread.

Thousand Cankers Disease poses a serious threat to black walnut trees in the national park. The disease is caused by a non-native fungus which is transmitted by small twig beetles. For information about the disease, including a quarantine map, please visit:
Visit the Don't Move Firewood! website for a wealth of information, including state-by-state updates on quarantines and threats, interactive games, insect identification, and ways you can help stop the spread of these and other destructive pests.