Campfire Smoke and the Anthropocene

Description/Abstract/Artist Statement

Homo sapiens have burned wood for warmth and cooking for over one million years. We leveraged the empirical case of campground visitors’ exposure to anthropogenic particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) from wood burning at Prince William Forest Park, Virginia (USA) to provide a window into the microspatial air quality indexes produced by discretionary campfires. Binary logistic regression illustrates the significant relationship between PM and campfire usage, suggesting multiple potential responses for recreationists, land managers, and scholars. We then transition from “is” to “ought” questions about the ethics of discretionary exposure to particulate matter through wood burning for leisure, an exercise afforded by the epoch. Ultimately, this inquiry yields practical implications for campfire management and contributes to the ongoing conversations about the connection between fire and our fundamental humanity.

Presenting Author Name/s

Anna Medlin

Faculty Advisor/Mentor

Lindsay Usher

Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department

Human Movement Sciences Department

College Affiliation

College of Education & Professional Studies (Darden)

Presentation Type

Poster

Disciplines

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration

Session Title

Poster Session

Location

Learning Commons Lobby @ Perry Library

Start Date

3-25-2023 8:30 AM

End Date

3-25-2023 10:00 AM

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Mar 25th, 8:30 AM Mar 25th, 10:00 AM

Campfire Smoke and the Anthropocene

Learning Commons Lobby @ Perry Library

Homo sapiens have burned wood for warmth and cooking for over one million years. We leveraged the empirical case of campground visitors’ exposure to anthropogenic particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) from wood burning at Prince William Forest Park, Virginia (USA) to provide a window into the microspatial air quality indexes produced by discretionary campfires. Binary logistic regression illustrates the significant relationship between PM and campfire usage, suggesting multiple potential responses for recreationists, land managers, and scholars. We then transition from “is” to “ought” questions about the ethics of discretionary exposure to particulate matter through wood burning for leisure, an exercise afforded by the epoch. Ultimately, this inquiry yields practical implications for campfire management and contributes to the ongoing conversations about the connection between fire and our fundamental humanity.