It’s Time to Ban Campfires for Good

In 2022, 68,988 wildfires in the United States burned 7.6 million acres, and the federal government ran up a $3.5 billion suppression tab. In 2023, our forests fared a little better: nearly 56,000 fires burned 2.6 million acres. These fires destroyed communities, killed firefighters and civilians, and triggered numerous forest, national park, and BLM land closures across the west. Wildfire, of course, has played a critical role in North America’s ecosystems for thousands of years. But these days, most of them are caused by humans.

Modern wildfire risk reduction policy focuses on two strategies: forest thinning and prescribed burning, which even the Forest Service admits cannot be scaled to properly address the problem. Efforts are underway to harden communities and infrastructure to wildfire—the only proven way to reduce structural losses. But little has been done to address the human ignition problem.

So I have a proposal: We should ban campfires. All of them.

Every summer, in response to hot and dry conditions made worse by climate change, public land managers across the country issue fire restrictions and often close large swaths of land, sometimes for months on end. I suggest the inverse: a year-round blanket ban on campfires on public lands, with exceptions during especially wet periods. Banning campfires sends a clear message to the public that humans (and all their toys and infrastructure) are the most common source of ignition, and that reducing the number of fires we light—on accident and on purpose—is an important part of living in a dryer, hotter West.

The Forest Service’s current strategy revolves around two stages of restrictions: Stage I prohibits campfires outside developed campgrounds, smoking outside of developed campgrounds or vehicles, and driving a vehicle without a properly functioning spark arrestor. Then comes Stage II, which bans all campfires, smoking outside of a vehicle or building, fireworks, explosives, welding, driving a vehicle off a road, and some nuanced limitations on daytime chainsaw use (you may use a chainsaw at 3 a.m.). You will forgive the camping public for not having these committed to memory.

And then they close the forests. These closures do more than disrupt weekend plans, they upend entire rural economies that are tied to public lands recreation. They cancel events from major races to small, private weddings and complicate the collection of scientific data.

Plus, the closures always seem to arrive a day late and a dollar short. In the summer of 2022 an escaped prescribed burn and a smoldering slash burn erupted in early April and later merged to become the largest wildfire in New Mexico history. It wasn’t until over a month later on May 19th that a closure order was issued for the rest of the Santa Fe National Forest, even though it was abundantly clear that conditions were dangerously hot, dry, and windy as early as late March.

Let’s enter an era of year-round modified Stage II fire restrictions on all public lands. No campfires, no smoking outside of a car, and restricted vehicle access during peak fire seasons. The Coconino National Forest outside of Flagstaff, AZ has already taken many of these steps and created a template for what should be included in a new national wildfire policy.

Banning campfires is of course a euphemism for comprehensively addressing the primary source of wildfire: human ignition. Recent studies suggest that 89 percent of all wildfires are human caused, and that number jumps to 97 percent for fires that threaten homes. Unattended campfires are not the only culprit: negligent smoking habits, malfunctioning off-highway vehicles, trash burning, target shooting and firework use are all known causes of wildfire. Also included in this category are fires started by power lines, escaped prescribed burns, and gender reveal parties, including a California couple’s that sparked a blaze that destroyed five homes and killed one firefighter. Recent studies show that human ignitions have both increased the duration and severity of the North American fire season and that recreational ignitions (which includes campfires) are the most common known cause of wildfire.

A campfire is a primal pleasure and for many of us, our main contact with fire. But a blanket ban on campfires is both practical and a symbolic reminder that any spark-emitting activity is a potential tragedy in the making. Each summer, the government assumes that we, the camping public, have left our incendiary ways on the last cold hearth of spring. They wait for someone to start a fire when it is particularly hot and dry, or all the available firefighting resources are in Canada or California, and then roll out the fire restrictions.

But one of the harsh realities of climate change is that our future will look very different from our past. This is inevitable, whether we make choices that direct that change or wait until our hands are forced. Our best bet is to make bold decisions now that offer a chance at a livable future.

A ban on common sources of human ignition is a small price to pay when the alternative is considered: abnormally long, large, and hot fire seasons driven not just by human-caused climate change, but by human-caused fires. And if you find yourself nodding in agreement, there is no need to wait for the government to act. You can simply leave the firewood and axe at home next time you head out.