Parks Canada axes free backcountry firewood at Kejimkujik

Backcountry campers at Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site will have to purchase and transport wood if they want to enjoy a campfire this summer. 

Parks Canada had previously provided a free unlimited supply of firewood for backcountry sites at the national park in southwest Nova Scotia. But an online statement from the federal agency said eliminating the provision encourages responsible wood use, reduces the risk of wildfires and enables money to be better spent elsewhere. 

"Redirecting resources allows us to shift our focus to trail and infrastructure maintenance and repair, key priorities identified by visitors during management planning consultations," said the statement. 

Parks Canada said campers should rely on appliances such as gas or propane stoves for cooking, rather than a campfire, because of the possibility of fire bans. 

When there are no restrictions, backcountry campers will be able to buy firewood at the park's visitor centre and campground kiosk, according to Parks Canada.

To reduce the risk of invasive forest pests, visitors are not allowed to bring wood or lumber into a national park, nor are they permitted to gather wood or debris within the park. But campers can bring heat-treated firewood, fibre logs or processed fire bricks in their original sealed packaging.

Campers split 

Halifax's Jason Warham said the move feels like a death by a thousand cuts for backcountry camping at Kejimkujik. He highlighted the elimination of winter camping, the removal of yurts, and trail infrastructure that's "falling apart." 

"I think this is just another step into eliminating any fire burning in the backcountry at all. And it seems that the infrastructure spending is being spent on the front country," he said. 

Warham said Parks Canada could have upped backcountry camping fees to help cover the cost of transporting wood to sites. 

Meanwhile, Sky Barkhouse of Mahone Bay, N.S., is happy to pack wood for a portage trip with friends at Kejimkujik this summer. 

"In the past in the backcountry, I have had fires before. It's a great way to kind of convene with your friends and spend time together. But there's also a lot of other ways that you can do that," said Barkhouse. 

"The intended purpose of a national park is to protect the land and its wildlife.… I think we have to respect that conservation will always come before camping." 

Parks Canada suggests stargazing, storytelling, card games, art and reading as alternatives to campfires. 

Other park policies 

While many other national parks and wilderness areas have restricted backcountry fires altogether, the Parks Canada statement said its approach at Kejimkujik "seeks to preserve the tradition by balancing the impacts of campfires with environmental and operational considerations." 

Cape Breton Highlands National Park and Cape Chignecto Provincial Park do not allow backcountry campfires at all. 

Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, firewood is provided for free at New Brunswick's Fundy National Park where the distance to backcountry sites is relatively short.

"The size of the Kejimkujik backcountry is unique, particularly in a regional context: it features 45 backcountry campsites over several hundred square kilometres," said the statement.