does anybody know if a woodstove like a bushbuddy or a bushcooker are allowed in the Stanislaus national forest or any other places in California.

Thanks

Frank, wood stoves are allowed in many places and not allowed in many others. You almost have to check with the particular park or forest of interest. There are some places where you are not allowed to have any wood fires period, and that includes camp fires and wood stoves. Also, lots of places get very picky in the late summer when the risk of wildfire is high. So, whatever these places may tell you today won't be good information for August.

--B.G.--

I use a SVEA or a MSR Pocket Rocket, but I have also burned a small campfire to make coffee and fry a trout or two. I think the ability to use downed wood to make a small fire is part of the joy of wilderness travel. The knuckleheads who make most government policy about wilderness are so divorced from the outdoor world that I couldn't really give a flying frog on their rules and regulations.

Michael,

It's scofflaws exactly like you that cause forest fires, no matter how careful they are. Most don't realize fires can smolder deep in the forest duff for up to a month before they break out into a full blown fire.

Addendum: When the governing agency of a recreational area says it's too dangerous to have open fires, wood or charcoal or paper, etc. then, for obvious safety reasons, like it or not we need to obey. Just look at the California fires that get started by open fires. And many other states have similar forest/brush fires started the same way. Lightning-caused fires are numerous enough without adding to them.

Conversely, when it's officially OK to have open fires then have 'em - carefully.

Even Bushbuddy, CC Inferno, Bushcooker, etc. "contained" wood stoves leave embers to dispose of and that can create a fire hazard.

Edited by Danepacker on 05/18/2011 00:24:28 MDT.

I think there are knuckleheads that make big fires in the wilderness that force the officials to make all fires illegal.

I agree, small fire is part of the joy.

On a cold and wet night, the red man collects a small amount of firewood. He builds a small fire, and he sits very close to it to stay warm all night long.

The white man collects a large amount of firewood. He builds a large fire, which burns very hot and fast, so he stays warm all night long by running to get more firewood.

--B.G.--

A native american builds a small fire and stay warm.
A white man builds a big fire and freezes.

Funny, I heard it even differently:

A native american builds a small fire and stays warm.

Then white interlopers kick sand on the fire, steal the land it's built on, banish the native american to small parcels of the worst land they can find, and then build oversized houses with multiple fireplaces.

Must have been a different book.

Hi Frank,

Like others have said, the regulations vary from forest to forest and from season to season. Typically, outside of high fire season (and below tree line), wood fires would be permitted in a lot of the national forests in CA as long as you have a Campfire Permit (free from the national forest offices). In fact these campfire permits are also required even for use of typical (gas) backpacking stoves.

Check the website of your desired national forest destination to confirm the rules in your area.

FWIW, in the Los Padres National Forest, we can use wood burning stoves (or any other kind for that matter) as long as we have our campfire permit... Of course, I've never encountered an official ranger in the los padres backcountry at all, let alone one asking to see my campfire permit.

In bad fire seasons, all varieites of stove have been banned before. Typically fire season restrictions will instead limit the types of stoves and what types of sites they can be used at.

Edited by NickB on 05/18/2011 18:03:48 MDT.