A good supply of fuel
needs to be gathered BEFORE building the fire. Fires have to “eat”, and if you want them to last, you must “feed”
them. Use what fuel is available,
keeping in mind that the drier the fuel, the better.
·
Dead,
dry wood is
best. Generally, the denser the wood (in other words, the heavier it is), the
hotter the fire, and the slower it burns. Wet wood, green wood, and wood with
lots of pitch (cedar, pine) will burn, but tend to smoke. However, almost any
wood will burn if the fire is hot enough. Also, splitting the wood helps. The
finer it is split, the better it burns, and the less smoky the fire.
·
Pine
cones, are
full of resin and burn great.
·
If
you are truly desperate, cow chips, as long as they are dry, will burn. Although they stink, burning
cow chips helps keep the mosquitoes away. But remember the greener the are,
they more they smell, and the less likely they are to burn!
What NOT to burn in a
Scout fire … in a word, trash. Fires
are meant to keep people warm, provide light, signaling for help or for cooking. So,
put trash in trash bags and keep it out of the fire. Violating this rule will
get a Scout’s parents called to come and get him.