Firewood on STT?

No, but I wonder why you want to add more CO2 to the atmosphere just for your enjoyment?
We should be working to reduce our carbon footprint, not increase it for petty purposes.

Be careful of what you burn as burning wood from manchineel trees can be deadly to those inhaling the smoke. Extremely toxic.
Buy a portable propane fire pit, then you don't have to worry about buying wood or burning toxic branches and wood found on a beach, etc.

I've been told by my DPNR friend that beach fires are permit-only in the VI to protect sea turtle nests. They can be roasted alive in the shell without you even knowing they're there... Just don't do it. 🙁

Maybe I should have mentioned it's not a sand beach, So no turtle nests, it's all decent-sized rocks, and my own property, not a public beach. No creatures are at risk of roasting, don't be sad 😉

And for CruzanIron -- I do certainly care about the environment, but burning 1/100th of a dead tree when about 10-30 BILLION trees burn from natural wildfires each year in the US alone seems to be a fairly nanometer-sized impact.

about 10-30 BILLION trees burn from natural wildfires each year in the US alone seems to be a fairly nanometer-sized impact.

Please provide a source for this number.

Wikipedia. It references an average 3,000,000 to 10,000,000 acres (just in the US!). 3,000 trees per acre yields 10-30 billion trees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildfire

I am certainly for responsible care for our environment and fellow living creatures. I would just like to have focus on things that actually matter. When we cast far too wide of a net it detracts from helping get our fellow human beings (who we need to create change) to get on board with making changes that will make a much more substantial impact.

Wikipedia. It references an average 3,000,000 to 10,000,000 acres (just in the US!). 3,000 trees per acre yields 10-30 billion trees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildfire

I am certainly for responsible care for our environment and fellow living creatures. I would just like to have focus on things that actually matter. When we cast far too wide of a net it detracts from helping get our fellow human beings (who we need to create change) to get on board with making changes that will make a much more substantial impact.

Where are you getting 3000 trees burned per acre? Most wildfires happen in grassy or scrub areas, such as California chaparral. 3000 trees per acres is very dense forest - unless you're counting tiny seedlings, which forestry biologists do not. I have a wildlife and fisheries biology degree with some background in forestry.

I personally don't view Wikipedia as a citable source.

Here's the thing. Sure your one little fire isn't causing a major impact. But multiply that by thousands of people in the VI, many of whom will (and do) create beach fires illegally, and you have a big problem. My friend at DPNR spends a good deal of his time on STX going around just stopping illegal fires, some of which are huge - and yes, that IS something with a sustainable impact. You probably won't find firewood in a store for this reason. It's just not being a responsible citizen of an island to be setting fires for recreation.

Edited to add - there are approximately 23 billion trees over ten feet tall (forestry standard) in the mid-atlantic region - your estimate of 10 - 30 billion trees burning per year means we would have the equivalent of entire states completely deforested on an annual basis. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/programapps/itfh.html

I say lets all build a fire tonight if nothing else but to piss off the liberals:)

I think the environment has a lot more to worry about with the 2-3 smog emitting vehicles per family and the occasional volcanic eruption which are far more problematic than any forest fire or occasional back yard weenie roast.

Actually, soot is a major component of particulate matter in the atmosphere affecting climate. Think of how many families worldwide who still burn fuel to cook and warm their homes. Seen a satellite photo of China's smog lately?

No man is an island. And I'm not a liberal. 😉

Most of my friends consider me a flaming liberal 😉 Even my friends that I consider kind of eco-freaks embrace having a small, responsible campfire in the outdoors, so I guess that's why I've been surprised at the responses.

After not getting any leads on firewood here I just went down to the landfill and Mike sold me 2 sets of old tires. He threw in some old lead-based paint that had been discarded for free, and told me if I painted the tires first that the colors in the fire would be even more spectacular. I'm excited to see it, after all it's just for recreation anyway.

Methinks ChrisMI may have just lit a few more fires with that last post:P

Most of my friends consider me a flaming liberal 😉 Even my friends that I consider kind of eco-freaks embrace having a small, responsible campfire in the outdoors, so I guess that's why I've been surprised at the responses.

After not getting any leads on firewood here I just went down to the landfill and Mike sold me 2 sets of old tires. He threw in some old lead-based paint that had been discarded for free, and told me if I painted the tires first that the colors in the fire would be even more spectacular. I'm excited to see it, after all it's just for recreation anyway.

Make sure you use plenty of kerosene to get it started! It's annoying when it doesn't catch right away. 😉

See if you can also get an old piano or organ keyboard too - they flame up a real pretty green color. That would go nice with the painted tires.

Heck, toss in those old spray paint cans too. They make some fun mini-explosions. In Texas they call them Redneck fireworks! (I get to say this because I'm an Aggie, lol) 😉

Clorox bottles, and stand downwind when they burn....

hahahah Thank you for the laugh!

Of course you all kidding about lighting these things on fire but tossing them in the garbage where they end up in landfills which get rained on and creates toxic runoff into our oceans - acidifying our waters and killing our marine life. Not to mention the whole plastic stuff that gets dumped. Look around, especially in STT - trash is EVERYWHERE on the roads - a bonfire is the LEAST of this island / worlds worries. Sheese!

You guys all have a much better sense of humor than I realized 😉

Why not just set the full dumpsters on fire - they wouldn't have to be emptied as often and the ash would be easier to compact at the landfill --and the dump would never catch fire again either.

Of course you all kidding about lighting these things on fire but tossing them in the garbage where they end up in landfills which get rained on and creates toxic runoff into our oceans - acidifying our waters and killing our marine life. Not to mention the whole plastic stuff that gets dumped. Look around, especially in STT - trash is EVERYWHERE on the roads - a bonfire is the LEAST of this island / worlds worries. Sheese!

AandA - the VI waste management does have the facilities to receive and recycle those chemicals. The fact of if people have enough motivation to turn in and recycle those chemicals is another question.

I think some of you could start a flamewar over yoga and charity work, jesus.

I think some of you could start a flamewar over yoga and charity work, jesus.

Actually, both of those topics have already been argued about on here. 😉 (not by me)

Ooooops, you left out Obama care. Don't get me started. Yes, you have to have a good sense of humor especially on forums because everyone has an opinion and whether you like their opinion or not, you need to at the very least respect it. I get a kick out of people getting way too passionate about an issue and maybe taunt them a little to try and get them to lighten up a bit and realize that this type of passion should be put to use like trying to find a cure for AIDS or the Obamacare melt down. (Oops just kidding folks, to much Fox News)