Restore Kejimkujik firewood
Petitioners ask the Minister to reverse Parks Canada's 2025 decision to stop free backcountry firewood at Kejimkujik and fund it by modest fee increases. The government responds that free firewood is unsustainable and now user‑pay.
Why we would sign this petition
- Preserves the campfire experience many visitors consider essential to cultural and recreational connection with Kejimkujik.
- Reduces major logistical burdens for multi‑day hikers, paddlers and campers who cannot reasonably carry enough wood.
- Decreases the incentive for visitors to forage deadwood in the forest, lowering the risk of ecological damage.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Providing free firewood is costly and the government found continuing it financially unsustainable.
- Portable stoves and a paid, optional firewood service reduce the need for a universal free provision and are permitted during some fire bans.
- Funding wood via higher fees could make visits less affordable for some and divert staff time from trail and campsite maintenance.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Beginning in 2025, firewood will no longer be provided for backcountry campsites at the Kejimkujik National Park; Campers who choose to have campfires must purchase firewood and transport it to their site; Increasing backcountry camping fees by a reasonable amount would likely be a preferred solution over the logistical challenges caused by this new policy; These lands have been enjoyed by the Mi’kmaw people for centuries, and we have gained an insight to their culture through tracing ancient trails, portages and waterways; Campfires are an essential part of the backcountry experience; This policy is both impractical and counterproductive; Many backcountry campers, including hikers, kayakers and canoeists, will face significant logistical challenges, and expecting them to bring sufficient firewood for a multi-day trip is near impossible; and The policy states that it will be "encouraging responsible fire use", but many campers will resort to foraging wood from the forest and cause unnecessary harm to the local ecosystem. We, the undersigned, residents of the Province of Nova Scotia, call upon the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to 1. Consider alternative solutions rather than eliminating the firewood provision entirely; 2. Increase backcountry camping fees by a reasonable amount as most users would prefer a modest fee increase over the logistical challenges and diminished experience caused by this new policy; and 3. Encourage Parks Canada to reconsider this decision and explore more balanced approaches to maintaining both the ecological integrity and the accessibility of Kejimkujik’s backcountry. 1. Consider alternative solutions rather than eliminating the firewood provision entirely; 2. Increase backcountry camping fees by a reasonable amount as most users would prefer a modest fee increase over the logistical challenges and diminished experience caused by this new policy; and 3. Encourage Parks Canada to reconsider this decision and explore more balanced approaches to maintaining both the ecological integrity and the accessibility of Kejimkujik’s backcountry.
Government response
Response by the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature Signed by The Honourable Julie Dabrusin Parks Canada recognizes the deep connection that many visitors have to Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site: with its rich Mi’kmaw history, its old-growth forests, and the remarkable diversity of life its lakes and rivers sustain. It stands as a testament to the purpose of national parks and national historic sites in Canada: to protect and present these special places in ways that ensure they will stand and thrive for generations to come. As reflected in this petition, campfire has been used on the Kejimkujik landscape for generations. Today’s realities of high visitor demand and climate change call for a new approach. Parks Canada has taken an approach at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site that recognizes both the importance of campfire to visitors and the need for responsible, sustainable practices governing its use. Providing free firewood at backcountry campsites in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site is no longer financially sustainable. To address this, firewood purchasing and transport is now offered as an optional, user-pay service. This approach gives campers the flexibility to decide whether to have a campfire while supporting the park’s sustainability goals by promoting responsible firewood use and reducing its carbon footprint. Campers today have access to a wide variety of portable and lightweight alternatives to firewood for cooking and warmth, including gas-powered boilers and stoves. Moreover, many of these alternatives are also permitted during fire bans at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site—and are widely used in other national and provincial parks where campfires are not permitted at all. Parks Canada appreciates the recommendations made by the undersigned to consider alternatives to ending the provision of free backcountry firewood at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site. Parks Canada has considered and experimented with numerous approaches at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, including more centralized wood-pickup locations and larger initial firewood drops to reduce the labour and cost involved in delivering 60 to 80 cords of firewood annually across more than 350 square kilometres. Both approaches led to an unsustainable increase in firewood consumption. Parks Canada also considered charging a higher fee for some backcountry sites at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site where firewood would continue to be provided; however, the price increase required to cover the costs of providing the firewood would have created an offer that was financially inaccessible to many of Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site’s visitors. Moreover, it would have diverted significant labour efforts away from other backcountry investments, including making repairs and improvements to trails, portages, and campsites.