Fatwood gathering

At my camp / kitchen in an abandoned cash crop plantation. Most of the conifer trees here were planted in the mid 1980's shortly after clear-felling a previous stand of trees. It's those old pine stumps I am collecting to be used as fatwood. Yes, they are dead for close to 25 years, but the resin has preserved much of the timber.




Fatwood, also known as "fat lighter," "lighter wood", "rich lighter", "pine knot","heart pine" or "lighter'd" (sic), is derived from the heartwood of pine trees. This resin-impregnated heartwood becomes hard and rot-resistant. The stump (and tap root) left in the ground after a tree has fallen or has been cut is an excellent source of "fatwood". Other locations such as the joints where limbs intersect the trunk can also be harvested. Although most resinous pines can produce fatwood, in the southeastern United States the wood is commonly associated with Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), which historically was highly valued for its high pitch production.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatwood

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Fatwood
• pine resin
• fire lighting
• outdoors
• wilderness survival
• camping

[steintanz]

Nice demo of where to look for fatwood - thanks!