MA-Pittsfield State Forest

[onypony]

Not some place I would recommend if you want any sort of privacy. Now in MA you can't bring in any outside fire wood, must buy it from the campground. People reserve spots then never set anything up they sleep in there car. Won't be going back the anytime soon.

 

[Dan G]

Sorry your stay was not enjoyable. Were you up top near on Berry Pond or down at the lower sites??

Dan

 

[kmh1596]

I've been at PSF a few times, and Mercman frequents there many times, thought and still do feel it's a fantastic park. You may have had a bad camping neighbor, that's the fault of that neighbor, not the park, IMO.Pprobably 50 of the 60-65 days I'll camp this season will be in a MA State Park. Bringing in outside wood is frowned on in any park, and signs mentioning this are posted, but none of the MA ones stop you or force you to buy their wood, that I know of.

Sorry again for your bad stay, the sites we've had there had plenty of privacy, but I always do a drive through, or talk to someone who has been or goes often, to pick out the best spots.

 

[onypony]

We had site 29 in bishops field and as of 7/10/9 they will be confiscating all camp wood not purchased from them. The officer there told us they have to burn all confiscated wood daily. The Berry Pond spots did look nicer.

 

[kmh1596]

I stayed on site #25 I believe it was, right against the brook and the sites in that loop, for the most part had decent privacy IMO, although not desolate. The field sites are definitely lacking in privacy though..

I checked around with a few SPs today, and found out the full story on the firewood ban. Apparently, the state parks' purpose this year is to inform the public, as the ranger that I spoke with said. Next year there may be banns, but right now it's simply to inform. That wasn't at PSF, it was at a different park. He said they won't be confiscating any wood, they will simply ask where you purchased it, which should be local to the park anyways, to avoid transporting bugs, etc. Particularly, the Worcester area of MA had a huge outbreak of the Asian Beatle (I think it's called?), and they are trying to avoid transport even moreso due to that. Tree services have to even dispose of the trees they cut down in that area, at state disposal areas, or face steep fines and possible revokation of licenses.

The parks have always discouraged foreign wood that isn't from the area, and encouraged to buy from the park. When I spoke with the woman from PSF, she did say they were strongly encouraging people to buy from the park, but said any wood outside the park was banned effective 7/10 as you mentioned. Buying wood local to the park is always a good idea, that's definitely nothing new.

Guess it will depend on the park, as the two other MA SPs I called said they just will be asking where it's from, and assuming you picked it up local to the park, you'll tell them its one of the guys nearby. That's as far as they'll go in investigating the wood, and from what I was told, even if it's foreign to the area, they will just require you burn it during your stay and if not, to leave whatever you don't burn with them to dispose of. The person I spoke with was even honest enough to tell me it would be cheaper to buy outside of the park from one of the local guys, because they sell the wood pretty expensively at the park.

/rant. Sounds like you got someone who had a chip on their shoulder, or was having a bad day. Where do you usually camp? I have MANY other MA SPs pictures, info, and can recommend some nice sites.