Camp in areas where wood is abundant. Go without a fire if there is little wood at higher elevations, in heavily used areas or desert settings.

Don't build your fire under overhanging branches.

If there is a fire ring, use it. Keep your fire small and burn it only while you are using it. Allow the wood to burn to ash. Put out the fire with water, not dirt. Don't build fires next to rocks, where black scars will remain for years.

Clean combustible debris from around the fire ring

If there isn't a fire ring, consider a mound fire (directions at the end). A fire pan will also work; Use a metal oil drain pan or backyard barbecue grill that has sides at least three inches high. Elevate the fire on rocks or on mineral soil so the ground isn't scorched.

Collect small pieces of wood no larger than the diameter of your wrist. Pick them up over a wide area away from camp. Leave standing wood, dead or alive, intact so it can provide habitat for birds and insects. Fallen trees increase the water-holding capacity of the soil and recycle nutrients back into the environment when they decompose. Avoid using hatchets or saws or breaking branches off standing or downed trees.

Keep wood and other fuel sources away from the fire.

Burn all the wood to white ash, soak with water and scatter the remains over a large area away from camp. In river corridors, pack out aches. Replace the soil you used in your mound fire and scatter unused wood.

Pack out campfire litter, including plastic items, glass and foil-line wrappers that should never be burned in a campfire.

Provide adequate supervision for children

Never leave your fire unattended