On Appalachian Trail in Georgia will be required "bear canisters"
Starting January 1, 2027, U.S. Forest Service is introducing a mandatory year-round rule for travelers camping overnight along the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. Travelers will be required to pack food, trash, and toiletries exclusively in special factory-made, hard-walled containers that are inaccessible to animals.
The requirement will apply to the entire 78-mile portion of the state trail, including the Approach Trail access trail, and will be enforced in a half-mile-wide strip on both sides of the trail. The rule applies to both wilderness areas and established shelters or campsites, even if they already have fixed food storage facilities.
The traditional hanging of bags from tree branches and the use of flexible protective bags will no longer be allowed. Experts say that rope systems have become unreliable as black bears have increasingly learned to bypass them and retrieve hidden food.
Although the section in Georgia is only 3.5% of the total length of the entire Appalachian Trail, it has accounted for more than 12% of all bear encounters on the trail over the past decade. The trail receives more than half a million visitors each year, so the innovation should reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
Source: Bear canisters to be required on Georgia’s Appalachian Trail in 2027 - Now Georgia
From the editor
Tourists avoid those canisters for a reason - they are quite large and do not fit into modern lightweight backpacks. You have to carry them outside, which is also inconvenient because it affects the balance of the backpack. The only plus is that you can sit on the canister.
Context
Black bears have a very keen sense of smell and usually avoid people, but the smell of food or toiletries often attracts them to campsites. When an animal gets used to finding food easily at campsites, it starts to damage equipment, loses its fear of tourists, and eventually becomes so dangerous that conservationists are forced to euthanize it.