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.
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
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.