I remember watching on TV years ago, footage of women in Africa who basically spent half their day walking several miles to where they could gather a load of dry branches and carry them on their back to their home, just to have fuelwood to cook with. Every year the forest got further and further away.
I'm starting to see signs of that here. I went to the Forest Service yesterday to get info on a firewood permit, $20 allows you to take up to 5 cords. I asked to see a map of the nearest permitted area, in the Santa Fe Nat'l Forest. The area is 29 miles from my home. It's a gorgeous area, called the Caja del Rio. I decided to drive up there and take a look around after work yesterday. More than half the distance is on a forest service road that isn't maintained. It was really rough for my empty Ranger, and some sections I'd be reluctant to try negotiating with a full load. I stopped halfway, turned around, and went home. Driving an hour each way through this just to get 1/3 cord isn't going to happen.
So it's back to soliciting scrounges from private property owners, and making discreet excursions onto unsanctioned public lands. It doesn't bode well for the future.
I'm starting to see signs of that here. I went to the Forest Service yesterday to get info on a firewood permit, $20 allows you to take up to 5 cords. I asked to see a map of the nearest permitted area, in the Santa Fe Nat'l Forest. The area is 29 miles from my home. It's a gorgeous area, called the Caja del Rio. I decided to drive up there and take a look around after work yesterday. More than half the distance is on a forest service road that isn't maintained. It was really rough for my empty Ranger, and some sections I'd be reluctant to try negotiating with a full load. I stopped halfway, turned around, and went home. Driving an hour each way through this just to get 1/3 cord isn't going to happen.
So it's back to soliciting scrounges from private property owners, and making discreet excursions onto unsanctioned public lands. It doesn't bode well for the future.