Is Burning Wood Bad for the Environment?

[DSettahr]

Native Americans were always amazed at the size of fire White Men needed to accomplish the same thing the natives did to survive.

I have always heard this said, but I've never seen any credible source that cites actual Native American reaction to European practices at the time of introduction of Europeans to America. Does anyone know of such a source? I'd be interested to read it if it exists.

 

[Little Rickie]

I would think it wouldn't be, but are there any negative environmental effects of burning wood when camping? If you are interested in being "greener", should you burn less wood in your fires?

Eating, breathing and poop/pee are bad for the enviroment. Everything in modetation.

 

[jniehof]

Out West the dead trees from forest fires stand, or lay on the ground, intact for many decades so I'm not sure whether "dead and down" is acceptable practice there.

If the question is the acceptability of removing fuel, both the Forest Service and Park Service offer firewood salvage permits and designate areas where permitees may remove dead-and-down. I don't know how permit allocations are decided but I hope the Pueblos have priority; they've been using the resources a lot longer than we have. Fire is the natural form of decay here, so leaving the dead wood and suppressing fires leads to some pretty serious problems.

One alternative is salvage logging, which can have its own issues.

If you're interested in fire, particularly in the west, see if you can't get your hands on a copy of Inferno by Committee. It's self-published which limits its availability (and oh how it needs a copy editor), but a very good read.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Indigenous cultures certainly have used fire historically and prehistorically to alter the landscape throughout the world in profound ways. The book below by Omer Stewart provides a fine scientific summary of Native American use of fire.

http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Fires-Americans-Transient-Wilderness/dp/0806134232

 

[sun=electric]

I could be wrong...

I am 100% anti-campfire for the simple reason it makes a mess of the pot I have to stick in my backpack when I am done heating water. Plus when there is snow, where do you find "dry" wood. On the home energy issue: I started a photovoltaic (Solar electric) co-op to help people install PV systems. Since 2003 we have installed 341+kilowatts of modules. This offsets possibly (it is really impossible to tell!) 210 tons of CO2 per year. It also saves collectively the folks who installed their own systems $91,000 a year. I have not paid an electric bill since 2003 and sell annually between $250 to $400 of electric to my utility for the neighbors to use. I also heat with wood. All the hard wood I get comes from people who do residential tree work and would have to bring their waste wood and pay by the pound to put it into the town landfill! You might see the what is wrong with this picture. Woodburning has some down sides as has been mentioned, but CO2 is not one. My guilt is more with my chainsaw (2 cycle) and the log splitter. I salve my conscience with all that solar!
But I could be wrong....

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Woodburning has some down sides as has been mentioned, but CO2 is not one.

But, burning wood does generate carbon dioxide, at a higher rate per kWh than most fossil fuels (see link). But, at least we can plant trees to replace the wood, something that we cannot do with fossil fuels.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/co2-emission-fuels-d_1085.html

 

[DSettahr]

Woodburning has some down sides as has been mentioned, but CO2 is not one.

But, burning wood does generate carbon dioxide, at a higher rate per kWh than most fossil fuels (see link). But, at least we can plant trees to replace the wood, something that we cannot do with fossil fuels.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/co2-emission-fuels-d_1085.html

All of the carbon that is released by burning wood was in the atmosphere to begin with. Of course, the same is also true of fossil fuels. However, when a tree dies, decomposition is going to release that CO2 back into the air anyways. This is not the case with fossil fuels.

And, as you stated, we can plant trees... which will absorb CO2 from the air!

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

However, when a tree dies, decomposition is going to release that CO2 back into the air anyways.

But, a lot more s-l-o-w-l-y with decomposition than with burning, which is the crux of our human time-scale issue, I think.

 

[DougPaul]

However, when a tree dies, decomposition is going to release that CO2 back into the air anyways.

That decomposing tree is also going to support a whole bunch of organisms that burning would not.

Doug

 

[Little Rickie]

Come on folks. How much of a carbon problem are backpacker's camp fires in the North East compared to all the other mega huge carbon generators we all use daily? .000001? Keep this is perspective.

 

[RoySwkr]

Plus when there is snow, where do you find "dry" wood.

deadfalls above the snow line, dead trees and branches

When camping away from regular campsites in NE, I've never had trouble
finding plenty of wood though popular campsites are a different story and
that's why wood fires are often banned

I started a photovoltaic (Solar electric) co-op to help people install PV systems.
Since 2003 we have installed 341+kilowatts of modules.

Good for you!

Woodburning has some down sides as has been mentioned, but CO2 is not one.

Because woodburning plants are less efficient than coal plants, they produce about 50% more CO2 per unit of electricity as mentioned earlier. Landfilling firewood may be silly but it does keep the CO2 locked up much longer than burning it or letting it lie on the ground.

I'll bet the greatest environmental impact of most weekend backpackers is travel to and from the trailhead, assuming that otherwise they would stay home and play canasta. An A.T. thru-hiker who otherwise would be running an air conditioner all summer in Miami might be a different story.

 

[Ridgewalker]

"Fire is horrible for the environment."---to quote a buddy of mine teaching a merit badge at scout camp.

I tend to think if it's bad, it's because it was abused. Thus, burn wisely.

 

[Little Rickie]

I'll bet the greatest environmental impact of most weekend backpackers is travel to and from the trailhead, assuming that otherwise they would stay home and play canasta. .

Brilliant point. Good thinking.

"Fire is horrible for the environment."---to quote a buddy of mine teaching a merit badge at scout camp.

I tend to think if it's bad, it's because it was abused. Thus, burn wisely.

I am sure he is referring to how man has caused massive forest fires because of stupid thoughtless acts.

Natural occuring fires help clear out underbrush that could bulid up for decads and could result in larger distruction and some tree seeds will sprout only after a fire has passed through the trees and over them.

Thus, burn wisely

If common sense was common we wouldn't have so many problems.