[at-l] Wood stoves: a threat to the trail?

[kahley@ptd.net (kahley)]

I'm not sure what Weary cooks or how, but I just stepped out and grabbed
enough wood for my typical meal of soup, supper and tea plus dog food
and it weighs just under 4 oz.
Cannisters, as much as I enjoy the convenience, are not recyclable, at
least not around here.
Unlike the leki point holes, which _are_ concentrated on the trail by 
necessity,
zipstove users can easily step off trail to secure their twigs.  The nutrients
are converted somewhat by burning but returned to the soil.  The biomass
is supplemented by me.
Personally, the zipstiove was a big part in my moving from 'must have a fire'
to 'nope...don't need one'.  And i'm not talking about just cooking.  It 
satisfies
my primal need for fire.  In the last three years, I have built one fire for a
newbees first night out and attended one fire which was built over my
protests (it was all Feelix and Pitsia's fault).
Wouldn't it be nice if there was some agency we trusted who we could ask
which form of trail cooking was least destructive.  I have made my judgement.
I wish I didn't have such a fear of liquid fuel but I do and so the zipper 
works
for me.  I bless MrTinCanStoveMan and everyone else that have brought
the can/alcohol stoves to the trail and left the noisy/stinky/dangerous
whispernots and their ilk at home.
I'm not pushing zippers for everyone.  If you are a boil in bag eater, alcohol
stoves are a better bet.  If you actually cook or need to melt snow, the fuel
weight issue tips to the zip.  No one ever talks about trying to melt snow on
alcohol.
And just a friendly. treehuggers's question?  How many trees are cut each
year to print Backpacker/Outside/Sierra magazines in a year?

Save the eastern forests. Reduce acid rain. Install a clothesline.