Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore campers are enjoying a new kind of firewood this summer at the park’s campsite vending stations.
Speedy Blaze, a Michigan-made compressed recycled wooden product, is currently being sold at Sleeping Bear’s Platte River Campground and D. H. Day Campground, a report said.
According to Deputy Superintendent Tom Ulrich, the product was imported for the 2021 camping season because Lake Ann Hardwoods, the long-time concessioner of firewood, couldn’t fulfill its commercial use permit earlier in the year.
Ulrich stated that Speedy Blaze bricks are resistant to mold and insects because of how they were made. He also said that it was important to find a supplier who can prove its product will not attract destructive forest pests.
He said that people used to bring firewood from wherever they were from. “Suddenly, we had all these forest pests and emerald ash borer, then we realized that this was how it was spreading through people bringing firewood.”
Speedy Blaze claims that it is water-resistant, pet safe, and safe to cook over. Ulrich noted that a few campers have complained about Speedy Blaze lacking some of the ambiances of typical campfire logs, but for those who yearn for the cozy crackle of traditional firewood, campers can always purchase log bundles from the park’s list of pre-approved local vendors, he said.
Speedy Blaze may not be a permanent switch for Sleeping Bear campground vending machines. Ulrich stated that the park might be interested in long-term concessions for firewood.
The Speedy Blaze bricks will keep campers warm and pests away from the National Lakeshore.
