So now you and your friends have found a decent place to spend the night.
Responsible fire-site selection is beyond the scope of this article, but I will touch on a few items.
Common sense will tell you where to place the fire and where to avoid.
Think open areas with a dirt base for the fire site.
You want the site to be isolated enough to keep the fire from getting out of control and spreading to near by dead trees or low-hanging branches.
Choose a spot for your fire where the only fuel it will have is what you give it.
Control of your fire is maintained this way.
If you are camping in one of the developed camp sites, ALWAYS use the fire ring.
Know where you are going and if there are any fire bans.
ALWAYS respect fire bans.
Plan a good hour of gathering fuel in the daylight for your camp fire.
Your goal is to gather three sizes (small, medium, and large) of dry things to burn.
The largest amount of these you will gather will be the larger pieces.
The small pieces will serve as your tinder or first pieces that begin to burn.
Medium sized things will get your fire generating enough heat to easily transition to the larger pieces that will sustain the fire through out the night.
Create three piles of these three sized of things.
Small items should include dry sticks and twigs thinner than a pencil and things like dry pine needles.
A good guide for the line between medium and large is generally about the thickness of your forearm.
The lower dead branches of pine trees that are still attached to the tree are perfect for filling your small and medium piles.
This is called "squaw wood" and the more easily it breaks off the tree, the dryer it is and the easier it will be to get to burn.
Larger pieces of logs generally will be found on the ground and generally will be wet.
Moisture is OK, if you get your fire going hot enough.
You may also find that the area you are camped doesn't have much larger wood.
In developed camp grounds you are better off bringing your bundle of large logs, but you should be able to find plenty of small to medium sized sticks to use though you may have to hike away from the campground to find some.
So you're gathering and gathering and wondering how much wood is enough.
Well, that depends mostly on your group, the weather, how big you want the fire, and how long you will keep the fire going.
Use your best judgement for the situation at hand.
For an average fire, on an average night, generally speaking, you'll go through maybe 3-4 standard sized firewood logs per hour.
Your preferences may be different than mine though.
More is always better because you don't want to find yourself having to scrounge up some wood in the middle of a moonless night out in the woods.
Any extra can be left for the next campers.
This has been part two in a four part series.
Keep a look out for part 3!
Responsible fire-site selection is beyond the scope of this article, but I will touch on a few items.
Common sense will tell you where to place the fire and where to avoid.
Think open areas with a dirt base for the fire site.
You want the site to be isolated enough to keep the fire from getting out of control and spreading to near by dead trees or low-hanging branches.
Choose a spot for your fire where the only fuel it will have is what you give it.
Control of your fire is maintained this way.
If you are camping in one of the developed camp sites, ALWAYS use the fire ring.
Know where you are going and if there are any fire bans.
ALWAYS respect fire bans.
Plan a good hour of gathering fuel in the daylight for your camp fire.
Your goal is to gather three sizes (small, medium, and large) of dry things to burn.
The largest amount of these you will gather will be the larger pieces.
The small pieces will serve as your tinder or first pieces that begin to burn.
Medium sized things will get your fire generating enough heat to easily transition to the larger pieces that will sustain the fire through out the night.
Create three piles of these three sized of things.
Small items should include dry sticks and twigs thinner than a pencil and things like dry pine needles.
A good guide for the line between medium and large is generally about the thickness of your forearm.
The lower dead branches of pine trees that are still attached to the tree are perfect for filling your small and medium piles.
This is called "squaw wood" and the more easily it breaks off the tree, the dryer it is and the easier it will be to get to burn.
Larger pieces of logs generally will be found on the ground and generally will be wet.
Moisture is OK, if you get your fire going hot enough.
You may also find that the area you are camped doesn't have much larger wood.
In developed camp grounds you are better off bringing your bundle of large logs, but you should be able to find plenty of small to medium sized sticks to use though you may have to hike away from the campground to find some.
So you're gathering and gathering and wondering how much wood is enough.
Well, that depends mostly on your group, the weather, how big you want the fire, and how long you will keep the fire going.
Use your best judgement for the situation at hand.
For an average fire, on an average night, generally speaking, you'll go through maybe 3-4 standard sized firewood logs per hour.
Your preferences may be different than mine though.
More is always better because you don't want to find yourself having to scrounge up some wood in the middle of a moonless night out in the woods.
Any extra can be left for the next campers.
This has been part two in a four part series.
Keep a look out for part 3!