# Gather wood in a survival situation



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

If I'm out in the forest during the winter, there is an abundance of wood everywhere but most is standing decidious. And, anything on the ground is quite wet.

This just got me thinking that trying to maintain a fire 24/7 while lost and waiting for search and rescue may be more difficult that I thought. Perhaps not even possible unless I had the correct tools. Do you think it is possible with just a fixed blade knife?


----------



## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

I couldn't do it without at least an axe. A saw would be better. You've got to get to the interior of the wood where it's dry.

You're right about the wood on the ground. Tried to start a fire with that once on the Laurel Ridge. I had two railroad flares and never got it started.


----------



## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

Can't speak for every forest, but the ones I've been in seem to always have dead trees that are still standing, that can be pushed over by hand and broken into peaces. Birch bark and leaves and twigs found under rocks and such should be dry enough to get the fire started.
Now for the 24/7 part, what I like to do is build a fire against a very large log, (dead, but not completely rotten) it will help you with having enough fuel for the fire. Burn it in two in a place which will allow you to drag it on to the fire once it burns in two. 
The fixed blade knife? well I guess it could be used to make kindling when starting the fire.


----------



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

When I was scout age, i remember packing a buck saw into winter camps where we slept under a tarp with a nearby campfire.

We with 6 kids to a leanto, we would do double up on the buck saw and make a small pile of wood for the night time fire.

This was easy with 6" dia snags leaning against trees, we never had a shortage of wood.

The thought of cutting all that wood as an adult and by myself is a bit overwelming. I wonder if I ought to rely on branches and bush with a machete, then feed the end of logs into the fire. I think I could manage logs better than lots of cutting


----------



## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Dead wood can be wacked on a large stone, or wedged between trees and snapped. You'd be surprised how big of pieces you can break, those that won't break burn in half.

Main problem is getting tinder and small dry stuff to get things going. Look for dry bark (birch) or twigs from the dead lower branches of a conifer. Lots of other stuff will work for tinder.

Another point is to setup camp in a place with plenty of dry wood nearby


----------



## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

When I'm out in the woods like this I'll grab up under a trees bottom part where a squirrel has been, usually I'll find some dry rotted wood in there to get a fire started. Once started I'll have wet wood right next to the fire to dry out and feed it like the others have said. Sometimes overhangs or small caves will have wood in them, usually from people or blown in by the wind. The only thing I would think a fixed blade knife would be able to do is to get small kindling shavings for the initial start of the fire.


----------



## Jeep (Aug 5, 2014)

If you have access to bigger pieces of magnesium, this can help, it burns so hot you can dry wet wood next to the initial fire. Look at local businesses or junkyards.


----------



## pakrat (Nov 18, 2012)

A saw can be handy, but does little for opening the wood up which has already been pointed out as having considerable advantage. I don't care much for machetes for prepping fire wood. The blades are designed to hack brush and though they do that quite well, they tend to bind up on heavier/thicker wood. Chopping away at a 6" limb with one can be frustrating.

I much prefer a wood chopper's hatchet. I don't mean a utility hatchet, roofer's hatchet or tomahawk. They all have relatively flat cheeks and are designed for cutting, not chopping and splitting. A chopper's hatchet with a good edge and rounded cheeps with a concave relief behind will prep fire wood pretty quickly with less effort. The rounded cheek also helps with shaving starter wood (fuzz) because it keeps the blade edge from digging into the limb wood as you shave.

The only fixed blade knife I use on fire wood is a Cold Steel Tanto. The steel is thick enough to put a pretty good chopping edge on it (wide angle) and it has quite a bit of weight to help carry the blade into the wood.

Here's an interesting comparison and discussion: knife-vs-hatchet


----------



## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

Moonshinedave said:


> Can't speak for every forest, but the ones I've been in seem to always have dead trees that are still standing, that can be pushed over by hand and broken into peaces. Birch bark and leaves and twigs found under rocks and such should be dry enough to get the fire started.
> Now for the 24/7 part, what I like to do is build a fire against a very large log, (dead, but not completely rotten) it will help you with having enough fuel for the fire. Burn it in two in a place which will allow you to drag it on to the fire once it burns in two.
> The fixed blade knife? well I guess it could be used to make kindling when starting the fire.


Exactly you don't even need a blade, find the big log and build the fire underneath of it. I usually find two tree close together that I sometimes use to set long limbs in between them and use the leverage of the limbs to break them, but even that isn't necessary. Just drag everything to the fire and feed it in as it burns, it saves so much energy and once you get some big logs going you won't have a problem of it going out. Also the wet limbs will dry off as they are feed into the fire.


----------



## Stick (Sep 29, 2014)

Always carry some nylon line with you. Tie a weight on one end and toss it over the lower dead branches and pull them down. They are off the ground and dry (works well in public campgrounds where every stick of ground wood is long gone). Pine and fir trees often have useable pitch oozing out of the bark, just chip it out with your knife. That stuff burns like napalm. Those lower branches get closer and easier the deeper the snow gets, kept me going a number of times.


----------



## survival (Sep 26, 2011)

Stick said:


> Always carry some nylon line with you. Tie a weight on one end and toss it over the lower dead branches and pull them down. They are off the ground and dry (works well in public campgrounds where every stick of ground wood is long gone).


Now I have a good use for my survival bracelet. good tip.


----------



## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

Mad Trapper said:


> Dead wood can be wacked on a large stone, or wedged between trees and snapped. You'd be surprised how big of pieces you can break, those that won't break burn in half.
> 
> Main problem is getting tinder and small dry stuff to get things going. Look for dry bark (birch) or twigs from the dead lower branches of a conifer. Lots of other stuff will work for tinder.
> 
> Another point is to setup camp in a place with plenty of dry wood nearby


One problem with "wacking" wood against a stone or tree, is that the wood can "wack" back. I've seen it happen..right in the head of an unsuspecting bystander..friggin OUCH!
I do like your idea of breaking it in between the fork of a tree.
I've been saving TP rolls and dryer lint for about a year now. I've used them to start fires, after i added petrolium jelly. They do work! So, if you can make some shavings, and gather some larger dry tinder, you will have a fire started. 
Next I plan to try my hand at the old "Wood Bow" type of starting fire.


----------



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

A fellow scout leader likes to practise bushcraft, i think i'll get him to demonstrate a fire start with wet tinder. I think he uses a friction method of drying it out. It is probably not possibly with some types of tinder.


----------



## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I have used Magnesium shavings from a good magnesium bar to start wet tinder here. That stuff burns at 3000 deg. I think. Burning wet wood is tuff sometimes here in Houston with the rain. I drag logs to the fire and burn them as I drag in once started. Works well. Still, a good camp hatchet and knife are needed for kindling.


----------



## Tennessee (Feb 1, 2014)

Here in rainy Tennessee I’ve never had a problem finding dry wood to burn/start a fire. All you have to do is look. You can find dry spot under trees, logs and rock over hangs. I was deer hunting when it started to storm. I crawled under a pine tree to get out of the weather. The pine straw was so thick and dry I fail asleep. I still remember how well I slept that day.

In a survival situation and you know you’re going to have to build a fire to stay warm and dry. Collect your tender as you move and keep it under you clothes to dry out.


----------



## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

I keep a fire kit in my edc. Its nothing more than cotton balls soaked in wax. They burn like a candle and can start with only a ferous rod. A folding hand saw is always in there and i always have a fixed blade. With just those things you can build a pretty substantial shelter and keep a fire going. In snow go for standing dead wood and the lower dead limbs of coniferous trees. You can pile damp wood close as suggested to get it drying. You can split logs with a solid fixed blade by pounding it through with a chunk of wood as long as the blade is a little longer than the trees diameter where your trying to split. 

A good folder is only 20 bucks a great knife like the shrader 9 is only 50. Cotton balls are pennies and candle wax from a burning candle is as well. I usually have a penny stove and 3 hits of fuel. A hit of fuel will rolling boil 2 cups of water. I usually have a lifestraw as well. With these things and a stainless steel 2 .25 cup to keep the stove and fuel in you can drink purified water all day long and eat pine bark until recued.


----------



## Doc Holliday (Dec 22, 2012)

for cutting wood I have a "pocket chainsaw" Pocket Chain Saw - Portable compact hand chain saw it works great...


----------



## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

A regular pair of pruning shears could go a long way for small stuff like branches. If you flip the branch over and work on the other side you can do bigger branches too.

And if you want to add mechanical advantage, try tin snips.


----------



## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

BagLady said:


> One problem with "wacking" wood against a stone or tree, is that the wood can "wack" back. I've seen it happen..right in the head of an unsuspecting bystander..friggin OUCH!
> I do like your idea of breaking it in between the fork of a tree.
> I've been saving TP rolls and dryer lint for about a year now. I've used them to start fires, after i added petrolium jelly. They do work! So, if you can make some shavings, and gather some larger dry tinder, you will have a fire started.
> Next I plan to try my hand at the old "Wood Bow" type of starting fire.


You do have to be careful breaking branches on a stone, but it works quite well with dry wood. When breaking branches in the fork of a tree start at the fat end so you have the most leverage to break the thickest part; it will get easier as it gets thinner.

*Practice* making the wood bow/drill long before you need one in an emergency situation. Know what types of wood in your area work for the spindle (hard) and the fireboard (softer). You will also need a bowstring which can be a shoelace or a piece of cordage/paracord. The handhold can be another piece of hardwood or a stone with a small hollow to fit the spindle. Practice blowing the ember in some tinder into a flame, and have plenty of small dry stuff to establish the fire. Unless you get real good at it, it will be most difficult in adverse conditions. What seems easy in your backyard is different in the rain or snow.

Flint and steel with some char cloth is much more user friendly. A magnifying glass if the sun is out. Best bet is to carry two butane lighters whenever you head into the woods...........


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Stick said:


> Pine and fir trees often have useable pitch oozing out of the bark, just chip it out with your knife. That stuff burns like napalm. Those lower branches get closer and easier the deeper the snow gets, kept me going a number of times.


Stick hit on what I was thinking too.
Here in Texas, Pine is abundant. Finding that oozing or solidified pitch is like finding gold when you need a fire. Lights easy, burns hot, wet or dry.
Dead, but still connected, branches are your best bet for usable wood to start a fire. Gather whatever you can to sit and dry by the fire.
Remember, cooking fires are small, survival fires are BIG!
If the temperature is dropping, your fire needs to be as big as you can reasonably manage and feed.
Some say a 3-4 foot long fire is good for staying alive. If you have the wood, 6 feet is better.
Find a rock face, or fallen tree, to use as a backing. This will help to trap the heat, and reflect it back to you.
An exposed fire is wasteful. Keep that heat. Collect rocks to heat up in the fire for later burial under your sleeping spot.
Find ways to conserve as much of that life saving heat as possible.


----------



## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Pine sap and fat wood are everywhere you look in a pine forest. I can usually find dry tinder at the base of trees such as spruce and white pine, since they have low dense branches that shed snow and to a degree water. I wouldn't think of going out in rainy/snowy weather without having at least a fire starter, like a fuel tab or cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly etc.


----------



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

You have me looking for pine sap the next time I'm out there.


----------



## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Actually it is called pitch, and is usually found oozing from/around scars in the tree bark.


----------



## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

Sometime in our distant past, people kept fires going all the time with no tools. It can be done. My favorite 5,200 year old man, Otzi, had a small container used to carry embers from one camping location to the next. Keeping fire 24/7 doesn't have to mean keeping an open flame. (If you don't know about Otzi the Iceman, a study of his equipment can show you what one really needs to survive in the wild long term) Otzi - Wiki

If you can get a fire going, keeping it going is pretty easy in wooded areas. Big branches can be thrown on the fire and burnt in half. Once down to a more manageable size, stick one end in the fire and feed them in as they burn, there's no need to chop anything.

I've started and maintained fires in downpours, it can be done. If there are pines nearby, they usually have bottom branches that will get you going. There is usually some shelter to be found in overhangs or next to cliff faces. Wet wood can be stacked near the fire and it will dry. Really wet wood can be thrown on the fire, where it will eventually dry enough to burn.

If I was lost and trying to be found, I would rather spend my energy getting out rather than in maintaining a fire. Find a stream or dry creek bed, follow it downhill, and you will eventually find a road. If I had to remain in place (for example, if I was with a wounded buddy) keeping a small-ish fire going wouldn't be that much of a problem where I live. In a desert or whatever, it might be impossible.


----------



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

When i lived in the rockies, hiking downhill until you reach a river or road made alot of sense. But I'm not so sure it works when there are no mountains.


----------



## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

As per OP, with just a knife you aren't going to be able to keep up with a fire. You have to sleep sometime, so you have to actually get ahead. If there is plenty of down, dry wood around you you would have a chance.

With snow its going to be hard finding wet or dry wood. Suppose to kick around to find it. Then you have to have a fire hot enough to dry out the wet wood.

In the south there is lighter or fat pine which will even burn in the rain though not in a pit that rain will collect & puddle. Its like turpentine & don't want to be cooking on it.

My solution, north or south, is a Estwing campers axe.


----------



## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

Decided to burn the christmas tree in our woodstove this year.

Wow!

I was putting a small branch in at a time. The needles were sizzling like bacon, and as soon as I closed the door, the branch would explode into flames like it was soaked to gasoline.

It was a hot experience


----------

