Help. Finding Natural Tinder in Wet PA Forest?

Sharp Eye

Sharp Eye

Joined
Feb 21, 2008
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I had a humbling experience yesterday. I went out for a day hike in the woods near my home. It was wet after several big rains in the past few days. Along the hike I was collecting stuff that I thought might work as natural tinder.

When I tried to use these “tinders” with my ferro rod to start a fire, I was completely unsuccessful. I took out my trusty PJCB's and had a fire going in 3 min.

If I had been in a survival situation without artificial tinder I would have been SOL!! :eek::eek::eek:

As soon as I got home, I added another container of PJCB's and some lighting paper to my kit. :D

So, my question to all of you more experienced woodsmen and woodswomen is:

What should I be looking for that might work as natural tinder in a soaking wet Mid-Atlantic forest?
 
Inner bark of cedar trees works good, and is usuall dry when all is wet. Cattails too.:thumbup:

Trick is keepin it dry after harvesting.;)
 
Good question man..I often wondered the same thing being from pittsburgh(more specifically plum, if you know where that is)
 
mete said:
Paper birch.
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Mete,
No birch in the area at all. Looked at the edges of fields and by the creeks. But a great suggestion for other trips.

j williams said:
Inner bark of cedar trees works good, and is usuall dry when all is wet. Cattails too.

Trick is keepin it dry after harvesting.
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j williams,
That is a great idea. There is some cedar in the area.

Unfortunately most of the cattail around here has been replaced by phragmites
 
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Wet or not, I am always on the lookout for tinder and putting it in my pocket. If I have none and I need to collect in wet weather, I usually end up going with the inner bark of a standing dead tree or one laying down. I will grab cedar, but it is not terribly common. I try to gather the inner bark on the dry area either from a lean or gap on the underside. Another place I look is at the base of large trees in the duff layer as even in a downpour there is sometimes an area that stays dry. This can also be true for large boulders. Chances are your tinder will be at least damp, start to prepare it, and then put it in your pocket while you gather kindling and fuelwood. You will be surprised how well your body heat will dry it out. If you using a ferro rod, you also have to be aggressive in the volume of strokes and pressure you apply. I get a little extra heat and mass on a spark if I dig the corner of my hacksaw blade into the rod.

My recipe for fire in wet weather in the Appalachians is usually the inner bark of yellow poplar for tinder and white pine kindling as both are readily available. White pine is an excellent fire wood as it contains a volatile oil that burns well. In addition, it generally has a plentiful supply of pencil thin twigs. My base fuel wood to get it going is also white pine branches. Lay your other wet fuel wood close to the fire to start drying it out. A star fire is also a good idea. I just did this a little over a month ago when the kids caught some trout and we decided to cook them right then in the rain. Nature will provide and it won't be hard to find what works in your locale.

Just keep in mind, fire is a lot more work in wet weather and you won't get away with doing it half-ass as you can in dry weather.

Peace, Chris
 
I've crawled under pines,hemlocks etc. that have very low branches
and found ,bark, twigs & needles that were dry enough to light,
after heavy rains and snow. but hey, it pays to have PJCB's
for back up......
 
I have always found that a dead hemlock branch still on the tree is a fire just waiting to happen. The miniscule twiglets that the needles grow on go up instantly and the rest of the branch contains all the kindling and fuel needed to get a reasonable fire going. I have always been able to find at least one of these branches on demand.

Another thought is to split down a 2 to 3 inch diameter piece of pine or hemlock with your hatchet or baton it with your fixed blade to get to the dry wood inside and fuzz it up. I have found that unless the wood has been submerged for several days, the heartwood still will be dry.

Or just don't forget your pj cotton balls.


Jeff
 
I scout around for "squaw wood" this is really thin whisp bits of twig like branches that are still on the trees..and not on the ground...2 cargo pockets full is good... evergreen trees usually have this.. the dense cover on the top keeps the lower wood dry. A trick I picked up over the last year as well is I always build a base out of dry twigs to start my fire on.. as it will keep an blaze I get from being exposed to ground moisture. and as other have said... birch and cedar is great..
 
Thanks Chris. There is a bunch of yellow poplar in this area. I will give your recipe a try.

Jeff - have you been able to get the hemlock twiglets to take a spark?
 
Absolutely. With a firesteel, I'll make a really dense ball of twiglets, hold the striker steady and draw the firesteel away from the tinder. Usually have to blow it into a flame, but it does work with practice. A lot of times I will use one of the magnesium slabs that you scrape off some shavings, then ignite the shavings with the striker. This method is usually easier, as the magnesium shavings are actually burning and the hemlock catches readily.

As we all know, it all comes down to practice, practice, practice and finding that one technique that works for us and that we're comfortable with.


Jeff
 
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