Can't speak to what anybody else can do in their area /environment , but I could definitely keep an adequate campfire going with zero wood cutting ...if I had to for survival .
Would not be my preferred method , especially in wet conditions .
Maybe not if it's wet...
The last few times out to the woods around here I get why so many folks have said they didn't need a saw (although it is handy), to split wood, expose dry wood, etc.
It has been
way more dry this last year than usual for this area. When I walk around, my feet don't sink into the mud like normal, and it is really easy to get a fire going. No forest fire danger (not THAT dry), but easy to get it going, and keep it going.
Most years, that has not been the case.
In previous years, we saw less use of the site by others. They would come by, try to get a fire going in the pit we'd set up long ago, then fail. And leave.
Now there is evidence of use by others each time we go to the site, because conditions are dry. Just bust up some twigs and pull out a lighter or a match.
In previous years, you didn't get fire without doing some prep work first.
As for a 12 inch blade machete, well, I was using a 13 inch one a few times this last year.
In warmer weather it worked awesome, and held up well.

In colder weather it worked, but the edge took a lot of rolls.
