To poke a wood fire is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the world. ~Charles Dudley Warner
Wood. As a kid I just walked out into the woods and picked up dry sticks and started a fire. If I wanted a bigger fire I added bigger sticks. However, like most things in life, there is an art to choosing the right fire pit wood. Some woods burn hotter than others, some are more fragrant and others will just stink up the place. And some will impart a nice flavor to foods you cook over an open flame.
So I’m learning all about wood. And there are many choices when it comes to the types of wood that you can burn. Each have their own characteristics on how they burn. Some are optimal for burning in a Fire Pit and provide a nice clean fire while others will drive you away with billowing smoke.
If your fire pit is in a large, open area you’ll have more options to use what is readily available in your locale. But if you have a fire pit with a tight seating area you will really want to burn the right wood.
Ideally you want a seasoned wood with a low smoke output that creates few sparks and leaves a nice bed of coals for warmth and cooking. Woods like Apple, Ash, Maple and Oak have these attributes.
Check out this great chart on firewood ratings from U.S. Forest Products Laboratory:
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html
Very cool chart, yes? Now that we know a little bit on how different types of wood will burn, let’s start a fire!
To build a good fire you will need Tinder, Kindling and Wood. Tinder should be small and dry as this is what will catch the spark and burn hot enough to ignite the Kindling. When I shred my personal documents I keep the paper and use this as Tinder. I also keep the little sticks that I collect when I clean my yard in a in a box in the barn.
Kindling are larger pieces of dry wood but you don’t want them to be more than and inch or two in diameter. Scrap wood makes good Kindle. The old clapboards from my barn burn fast and hot. The idea is to have the Tinder catch the Kindling on fire which will in turn burn long enough to light the wood logs which will then burn for hours and produce a nice hot bed of coals.
To start I make a dense pile of the shredded paper in the middle of the fire pit and then begin to stack the little Tinder ‘sticks’ around and on top of the paper. Next you will begin to build a ‘TePee’ of Kindling around the Tinder. Start with smaller prices of Kindling and add larger pieces. I then make a TePee of 2 or 3 smaller logs over the Tinder/Kindling.
Once this is done use a long match or lighter to ignite the paper in several places. Let the layers of fire build before adding larger logs. I keep a flat piece of wood or ‘paddle’ handy to use as a bellow. I fan the fire so it burns hotter and faster and gets the stack on fire.
Once the logs catch, all you have to do is feed the fire.
CG says
Oh that’s a great idea, thanks for sharing!
Jill Moroch says
Another good source of Tinder – an old girl scout trick – dryer lint. Sounds weird and far fetched but it works like a charm!