Biodegradable apple cores that he was feeding to birds? I think that hardly qualifies.
edit: it's also illegal in national parks, carrying up to a $5000 fine and six months in jail
Apple cores I think might not be too bad to toss, ants can eat that up in a day or two.
I pack out the peels of any tropical fruit.
It makes sense to me, seeing how a single disease like chestnut blight or phylloxera can be very devastating to a population on a whole continent, it could be both as bad but also less noticeable in a natural park.