Apr
What Is Fatwood – Everything You Need to Know
Fatwood has become one of the go-to fire starters today. It’s not too surprising given it can essentially ignite by merely glancing at it.
Sourced from the taproot of an aged stump, fatwood is packed full of fire-starting resin that can virtually begin a fire in any environmental conditions. Once processed, fatwood stays waterproof and will last longer than you.
If you have never heard of fatwood or are looking for more information, you’ve come to the right place. We will go over everything you need to know about the all natural fire starter that is fatwood.
Benefits of Using Fatwood
There are a number of benefits to using fatwood over other fire starters. These includes:
- Being a completely all natural fire starter without toxic chemicals.
- Incredibly easy to light using a minimal amount of sparks or a small flame.
- Waterproof and stays lit whether it’s windy or raining.
- Strong shelf life. You don’t have to worry about the resin evaporating.
- Shavings of fatwood are an incredible waterproof fire starter.
Where to Find Fatwood?
To get yourself the finest fatwood, you will have to locate some pine trees. However, any conifer will have resinous fatwood in it.
You will find conifer groves at higher elevations in most places, such as the East Coast, as well as virtually anywhere in the Rocky Mountains and westward.
Conifers are also prevalent throughout Europe, the Western coast of South America, China, the Himalayas, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Find a dead coniferous tree or stump to get the highest quality fatwood. If you can’t get all the way down to the taproot, you can alternatively hack off one of the lowest-lying branches.
The core of these branches should contain enough resin for it to be considered fatwood.
How to Get Fatwood Out of Trees
Processing fatwood out of trees will take a bit of effort if you want premium fatwood firestarter. This means wrangling with a tree stump and getting into it with a hatchet or ax. Luckily, the most resinous parts of the roots are the sections nearest to the stump. You could even use a large knife at least eight inches in length to baton the stump.
Cut planks that are half an inch in thickness. You can then easily partition them into smaller sticks, also half an inch in width.
How to Start a Fire With Fatwood
To start a fire with fatwood fire starter, you’ll need to do the following. Take two or three sticks of fatwood and place them into a fire or grill you want to get a fire going in. Make sure the ends of the sticks are jutting out one or two inches. Light these ends of the fatwood fire starter and allow them to burn uninterrupted for 10 or 15 minutes.
Conclusion
Fatwood is a remarkably effective all natural fire starter that will light a fire for you, every time. Now that you know how to source and process fatwood, you can start enjoying frustration-free fire whenever you want. We also sell fatwood as an essential in some of our fire kits. Be sure to check them out here in the button below.