THE tendency for an increasing number of people to procure relief from the physical and 

 mental strain of earning a living, by seeking the atmosphere of nature in the national 

 forests, parks, and in thousands of other similar areas, creates an important problem for 

 those who are concerned in meeting the needs of recreation. The problem of providing 

 campground and picnic-area facilities, especially camp stoves and fireplaces, is increas- 

 ing proportionately. The importance of this problem is further emphasized by the fact 

 that during the summer of 1935 the throng of campers and picnickers using only the 

 national forests had increased to 8,000,000. 



Because of the influx of people, especially into the national forests, the national 

 parks, and the State and metropolitan parks, the use of the areas adapted especially 

 for camping and picnicking would be impractical if facilities for cooking fires and for 

 warming fires could not be confined to camp stoves and fireplaces, for the following 

 reasons: 



A. To reduce to a minimum, on wooded areas, the ever-present fire hazard. 



B. To increase the convenience and the comfort of man's use of these forest areas. 



C. To protect vegetation against unnecessary destruction. 



The great majority of those who are seeking recreation in the forests not only desire, 

 but require these facilities for their convenience and comfort. There is a small minority, 

 however, who are strongly prejudiced against the introduction of any man-made facilities 

 into the forests. These individuals have an innate love of nature "in the raw", and they 

 fortunately are able to adjust themselves to the conditions of nature without the aid of 

 these facilities which are normally a part of any important campground and picnic area. 

 Those recreation areas which are provided with facilities to increase the comfort and 

 convenience of the people who cannot readily adapt themselves to nature "in the raw", 

 are the most popular. In the development of any of these features, it is not practical or 

 necessary to attempt to provide the conveniences which one can have at home. It is 

 necessary, however, to avoid too great inconvenience in the use of these facilities in order 

 that those who are less hardy may reap the full enjoyment from their short stay rather 

 than to expend their energy in adapting themselves to conditions to which they have not 

 become accustomed. 



There is adequate space, especially in the great primitive areas for the small minority 

 who desire to "rough it", to procure full opportunity to live with nature as it has existed 

 for centuries. The great majority, however, who are living their lives under conditions 

 which do not in any way equip them, through experience or inclination, to provide suste- 

 nance and comfort without these facilities, should be equally able to enjoy themselves in 

 their particular way. 



It is to provide for the great majority that this bulletin has been prepared in the hope 

 that those who use, and those who may have occasion to construct, camp stoves and 

 fireplaces may be provided with information concerning the problems of location, design, 

 construction and use of these facilities. 



