This fall, one of our forum members (NateG) came across a disturbing example of firepit abuse/ignorance/danger . In his words ... "On 10/24/22, I saw fire damage on a Galeairy Lake campsite. The campsite is the one located a short distance before the Night Lake portage. Someone has moved the official fire pit to a location very close to a group of trees and caused a root fire. The damage looks quite extensive and will likely occur again if the fire pit is not relocated ... This kind of thing really disturbs me and seems to be a trend. Since the covid park-reopening, I've removed almost a dozen illegal fire pits. This was the worst damage by far, the others had only damaged the ground." 

He contacted the park and received this reply, "Thanks so much for letting us know - we really appreciate it. We will pass along your email to our Interior Manager immediately and they will contact you if they require more details or need the photos you took."

The campsite in question is #20 on Galeairy Lake on the PCI .. http://www.algonquinadventures.com/PCI/lakes/Galeairy/GaleairyCS20.htm

These are Nate's photos ...

Here's the location of the official firepit. The stone ring was removed and placed elsewhere on the forest floor.

Here's the relocated stone ring. The forest floor had caught fire, as can be seen to the left of the stones.

Close-up of the relocated stone ring. Unfortunately, recently fallen pine needles obscure some of the burnt forest floor damage.

This photo, from further down the embankment, clearly shows how the fire had spread through the forest floor.

This photo is from the 2013 PCI report of the campsite. The red overlay indicates how someone had relocated the stone ring.

Clearly, many new campers are uneducated about what comprises an official firepit. The are unaware what a "firepit" is and the purpose it serves.

To quote from page 8-9 of the Backcountry of Algonquin Park Leave No Trace Outdoor Skills and Ethics Booklet http://www.algonquinadventures.com/BackcountryOfAlgonquinParkLNT.pdf ... 
"Algonquin's backcountry campsites are equipped with official fireplaces. These are far more than a ring of stones laid on the forest floor. Park staff have dug down a substantial depth and width to remove any organic forest soil and roots at the location. They've then filled the resulting pit with mineral sand and/or gravel, in order to reduce the likelihood of a smoldering fire becoming established in the underground organic layer. Many destructive fires are started when campers unwittingly relocate the stone ring part of a fireplace to a “more desirable” location. They then move on, oblivious that their relocated fire-ring has started the underground organic layer smoldering. Later the wind may pick up and cause the fire to break-out to the above-ground organics, producing a conventional forest fire .. or the underground fire may spread for days destroying tree after tree from below by killing their roots. This is the very important reason for using only the established campsite fireplace! "

Nate has further commented to me, "I wish the park did more to educate what an actual fire pit is and why its not ok to make your own fire ring. or even worse, move it. And with online permits now its likely to only get worse. I appreciate the time they save me. But for the less experienced or first time campers I'm not sure its a good thing as it works now. At least picking up your permit was an opportunity to learn from park staff. Some mandatory videos might be a good option. I hear that some other park systems do that. Unfortunately I have no vote in the matter. I have shared my opinion via the park email though."