EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT  BUILDING A FIRE

FIRE: TO BUILD:

TINDER: SEEK OUT THE DEAD, PENCIL THIN BRANCHES NEAR THE BASE OF EVERGREEN TREES. THESE ARE SHADE-KILLED TWIGS, PROTECTED FROM RAIN BY THE TREE CANOPY, AND ARE USUALLY BONE DRY. A HANDFUL IS ALL YOU NEED.

IF THESE TWIGS ARE NOT AVAILABLE, LOOK FOR A LOG WITH A DRY CENTER. SAW OFF A SECTION THAT ISN'T TOUCHING THE GROUND. ROTTEN, DAMP WOOD, DOES NOT BURN WELL. LOOK FOR DRY WOOD. TREE SNAGS ARE GOOD. SAW OFF A 12 INCH SECTION AND SPLIT AND SLIVER IT WITH A HAND AXE. NEXT, SLICE LONG THIN SLIVERS OF   WOOD FROM THE HEARTWOOD SPLITTING. THIS IS YOUR TINDER.

SET TWO ONE INCH DIAMETER STICKS PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER, ABOUT 6 INCHES APART. PLACE A FEW PENCIL THIN PICES OF KINDLING OVER THEM AT RIGHT ANGLES   SPACE THE PIECES OF KINDLING ABOUT AN INCH APART.

CAREFULLY PLACE, LONG, THIN SHAVINGS OR SMALL DRY TWIGS ON TOP OF THE KINDLING. DON'T CROWD THE TINDER; THE FIRE MUST HAVE ADEQUATE VENTILATION  TO BURN PROPERLY.

NEXT, PUT TWO STICKS ABOUT ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER OVER THE ENDS OF THE INCH THICK STICKS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE FIRE BASE. THESE STICKS WILL SUPPORT THE HEAVIER KINDLING WHICH YOU WILL PILE ATOP THE SHAVINGS.

WHEN THIS PILE IS ABOUT AN INCH HIGH, WEIGHT THEM IN PLACE SO THE WIND DOESN'T BLOW THEM AWAY. FOLLOW   THIS WITH A FEW LARGER PIECES OF WOOD. FOR BEST RESULTS, USE SPLIT KINDLING RATHER THAN STICKS GATHERED FROM THE FOREST FLOOR.

THIS PILE WILL START WITH A SINGLE MATCH. APPLY THE MATCH DIRECTLY BELOW THE TINDER. FLAME GOES   UPWARD, NOT SIDEWAYS. THE TINDER BOX IS ELEVATED  WHICH PRODUCES AN EFFICIENT CHIMNEY-LIKE DRAFT. THE RICH, SMOKE-FREE FLAME OF THE YOUNG BLAZE GAINS MOMENTUM QUICKLY. THE TINDER DOESN'T TOUCH THE COLD, DAMP GROUND.

IN PINE FORESTS, THERE ARE RESIN BLISTERS ON THE PINE TREES. CUT A FEW BLISTERS WITH A SHARP STICK AND COLLECT THE PITCH ON A PIECE OF WOOD OR BARK.SET THE 'RESIN CUP' DIRECTLY UNDER YOUR FIRE BASE AND LIGHT IT. IT WILL LIGHT WITH ONE MATCH.

IF YOU HAVE PLANNED AHEAD, CARRY A BUTANE LIGHTER AND SAVE MATCHES FOR EMERGENCIES. ALSO, BRING A CANDLE AND SOME 'FIRE RIBBON' OR OTHER FIRE STARTER.

RULES:

TINDER SHOULD BE NO LARGER THAN A MATCH STICK IN THICKNESS. LEAVE ROOM FOR OXYGEN TO GET BETWEEN THE STICKS. ONCE THE FIRE IS STARTED, ADD ADDITIONAL WOOD ONLY ONE STICK AT A TIME OR IT MAY SUFFOCATE THE  BLAZE.

PUTTING THE FIRE OUT:

THE FIRE MUST BE DEAD WHEN YOU LEAVE IT. WHEN THE SMOKE IS GONE AND YOU HAVE THOROUGHLY DOUSED EVERYTHING WITH WATER, CHECK THE FIRE WITH YOUR HANDS. IF IT'S HOT ENOUGH TO BURN YOUR FINGERS, IT'S HOT ENOUGH TO BURN A FOREST!

FIRE PLACES

USE FIREPLACES ONLY FOR HEAT NOT FOR ATMOSPHERE

KEEP CHIMNEY CLEAN

SAVE ALL SCRAP PAPER FOR KINDLING

SAVE ALL NEWSPAPERS TO MAKE LOGS

HAVE A CHAIN SAW AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT

A SKILL SAW CAN BE USED FOR SMALL LOGS AND STICKS  EVEN A HAND SAW WILL DO THE JOB IF NECESSARY

ALWAYS HAVE A SUPPLY OF DRY WOOD ON HAND. WET WOOD DOES NOT BURN WELL - MERELY SMOKES

A CORD OF WOOD IS 4 FEET HIGH X 8 FEET LONG. A FACE CORD IS MADE UP OF WOOD 1 TO 2 FEET LONG

IF YOU BUY WOOD, YOU CAN PURCHASE 1/2 OR 1/4 CORDS

WOOD MUST BE SEASONED, CUT, STACKED, AND DRIED.   WOOD SHOULD STAND FOR A YEAR BEFORE BEING USED   FRESH-CUT WOOD IS PALE YELLOW, SEASONED WOOD IS GREY AND CRACKED

LARGE QUANTITIES OF WOOD SHOULD BE STACKED OUTDOORS  AWAY FROM THE HOUSE SO THE AIR AND SUNLIGHT CAN HELP CURE IT

THE WOODPILE SHOULD BE FAR ENOUGH FROM THE HOUSE SO THAT WINDS CAN CIRCULATE THROUGH IT. IT SHOULD ALSO BE AWAY FROM DENSE BRUSH AND STANDING WATER AND SHOULD FACE SOUTH

TO AVOID HAVING THE WOODPILE BE HOME FOR THE WILD   KINGDOM OF MICE, RATS, AND SNAKES, BUILD A PLATFORM TO RAISE IT 18 INCHES OFF OF THE GROUND. THE WOOD SHOULD NOT REST DIRECTLY ON THE GROUND

FIRST PUT DOWN TWO LOGS OF PIECES OF LUMBER ABOUT 4 INCHES WIDE, THEN STACK THE FIREWOOD ACROSS THEM PLACE THE FIREWOOD WITH THE BARK UP AND LEAVE SPACE BETWEEN EACH PIECE FOR CIRCULATION  THE LOGS ON EACH END MUST BE HELD IN PLACE YOU CAN STACK THE END LOGS OF ALTERNATING LAYERS SO THAT THEY SIT AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LAYER BELOW.  YOU CAN DRIVE VERTICAL STAKES INTO THE GROUND AT EITHER END OF THE PILE. WOOD CAN ALSO BE STACKED BETWEEN TWO TREES, BUT THE SHADE WILL KEEP THE SUN FROM DRYING THE LOGS

IT IS ESSENTIAL TO KEEP THE LOGS DRY. YOU CAN COVER THEM WITH OLD BOARDS, METAL ROOFING, OR HEAVY PLASTIC SHEETING. COVER THE TOP BUT LEAVE THE SIDES OPEN FOR AIR TO CIRCULATE KEEP SOME WOOD INDOORS TO AVOID HAVING TO BRAVE THE  ELEMENTS EVERY TIME YOU WANT TO START A FIRE   THAT ALSO GIVES THE WOOD TIME TO WARM UP TO ROOM TEMPERATURE, WHICH MAKES THE FIRE START FASTER BE SURE THE FIREPLACE AND FLUE ARE IN GOOD CONDITION BEFORE STARTING THE FIRE AND FREE OF CREOSOTE

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