lonnie I mentioned before I was disabled. my biggest heartache was the lack of time I spent with my sons. since watching your videos for a few weeks my 12yr old son and I have been camping. he helps me on my sticks and wheelchair even in remote areas. we get stuck we laugh I tell him what to do. he does it we have a great time. you esteemed sir have been our inspiration. I tell my son uncle lonnie says blah blah. thank you for helping a grumpy man into a happy man. nick
Nick that is really awesome and I am honored to have the opportunity to bring you and your son closer through shared positive experiences. signed "Uncle Lonnie"
Resin (or pitch) is the trees' blood. You mostly find it at the 'root' of branches. When pine or spruce trees fall, the roots of the tree keep pumping resin up the tree even though it's fallen already. So another good place to find resin is in the stumps. You might have to cut in a bit but you will definitely find quite a lot. Thanks for the demo, brother and God bless))
+Grimrippa1 Thank you and you are welcome. Fat wood here is quite rare I believe. Since our trees are too small to commercially log there are no stumps from live trees being cut. We don't usually get high winds to blow live trees over either. So most of our trees that are busted off and might have produced fatwood did not fall over until after they were dead and the roots no longer supplying pitch/ resin.
A few years back, I moved into a place that had a woodstove in it. This was the first place of my own that had a wood burning stove. I was able to practice my fire building and lighting skills often and very easily. I found a very large chunk of fatwood that came in a load of wood I had delivered for winter. This was my first encounter with fatwood and now I try and use it anytime I build a fire. I don't have much pine in the area I go and play while outside but I do have lots of spruce. So now I have a new place to look for fatwood. Thanks for the video.
+EliNicks You are welcome. I personally enjoy heating with wood. There just isn't any warmth I have ever experienced that is as nice as wood heat. That stove is always there to back up to when one is feeling chilly unlike so many other sources of heat. Fatwood would be a great woodstove fire lighting source for sure.
Lonnie I love the start of your videos. So nice to see the beautiful mountains and hear the peaceful music. Thanks for such great videos! My husband I are learning a lot.
Thanks Lonnie. Great video. I have always had my best luck finding fat wood in the last 8 or 9 inches of dead branches as close to the tree trunk as possible
+Mark Young (Shunpyke) I showed in this video (I thought) about cutting the branches off close to the trunk and finding fatwood there. Unfortunately when I got home, the branch end that I showed to the camera was out of the cameras view. lol I had to leave that part out then. I did show in the video briefly the tree trunk itself where I cut the limb off and you can see the fatwood there.
How come every time I come to this channel I learn something useful? LOL. Because you have great videos! Thanks for teaching me something very useful..AGAIN!
+Taromovies Swiss Bushcraft & Survival It's easy to find good fatwood here where I'm from. It's my favorite fire starting material.I just use my saw to make some sawdust and strike it with my ferro rod. It will usually flame up very quickly. Thanks for the great demo Lonnie!
+Mike Stilett I can only agree Mike, i just make a video about how i like to use the ferro rod with fatwood, don't get me wrong but if you like have a look at it, just sharing my opinion, Taro
+Taromovies Swiss Bushcraft & Survival I just watched your video. It's a great demonstration of exactly what I was saying. I don't know how I missed seeing this video, as I am one of your subscribers, and I really enjoy watching your videos!
Greetings Lonnie That was a very nice fine and seems to be really rare here in Alaska. I have found a wee bit but nothing like what you found. Great job Lonnie, Thanks Larry
Another very informative video! Where I live in central Wisconsin, Fat Wood is fairly abundant yet it takes awhile to find and harvest. One other backup plan I use...seeing that I am a zippo lighter guy is this...In a small glass jar I place small strips of Birch Bark and fill the bottle 3/4 full of zippo lighter fluid and screw the top on. On my zippo I have a cut piece of bicycle tire tubing to keep it water proof. Around both I keep a ranger band and attached one of those, a boat hollow float, with water proof matches inside. Now I have many ways to start a fire but if I drop my gear into the river, etc. I also have a quick way to start that emergency fire and dry out and it will not sink. Of coarse fat wood would work also but I also have a back up to fill my zippo if it renders itself dry without carrying the large refill can.
We use fatwood or fat lighter all the time. If we want some in a hurry around the camp we go out looking for the downed trees or ones that are still standing with the limbs and bark all fallen off of them, we walk around them and pick up the old parts of the limbs where they were attached to the trees. Most of these knots will be good fat lighter. But if you can find a good stump, you will be in fat lighter heaven and have a big supply of the best fat lighter. If you hear someone talking about lighter knots like we all do here, it is the ends of the limbs where they attach to the tree like you were doing. We like picking up the knots that have already fallen because it is quick and a minimum amount of work is required if you are in a hurry. Thanks for a great video. We appreciate the time and work you put into making videos for us. Sure looks cold there. But it is beautiful
+dalton vickers We have very little fatwood here in any form I believe and so I am just not real familiar with it. I am however learning a lot of good info here from you good folks who are commenting on this video. I will be checking more of the dead trees around here like you suggest. I don't have my hopes very high however as the trees that are down on the ground around here only fall after they are dead and have been standing dead for enough years to rot at the base enough to weaken the base and fall over. I have never found "lighter knots" laying around and I think the reason is that they decompose just as fast as the rest of the tree trunk because they have no high resin content due to the tree dying while still standing up. Thanks for the info on how you do it.
+Tall Cedars Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones as well. Thank you. Fatwood is a very useful item and definitely one worth learning how to find. Good luck.
As always, thank you for teaching, my friend. Especially when showing folks treasures they may not realize are in the own backyards. You made me shiver when you fished that fatwood out of ice water. Burrrrr Made me appreciate, even more, your efforts in giving others the opportunity to learn.
+Oldtimer Lee It was a bit chilly on the exposed hands since there is a breeze blowing. You can see my hat ear flap moving in the breeze when at the creek.
My goodness that is some beautiful country your showing in the introduction of this video. Fat wood is great for anyone who enjoys outdoors activities, camping, bushcraft or just having a backyard fire for marshmallows.
+nativeamericanwanderer I enjoy living here for sure. To tell the truth though, it would be nice if we could get MORE snow. We have unseasonably low snow so far.
Yes I always keep a good supply of fatwood or pitch as we call it down here in Ga in my pack. Never know when you might need a good fire. Thanks for the videos Lonnie, I really appreciate them. I would love to spend some time up there in Alaska ! Beautiful country.
Great score on that spruce. here in southern Maine we have mostly white pine. Fatwood can be found in the same manner around the old pine knots (branches) I have found that the best place to get it from white pine is in the stump. I look for trees that have been tipped over by wind and chop at the root base. I just went to Mississippi for the first time and was amazed at the Southern Pines! They are loaded from top to bottom! I found out that's why they don't use pine for there cooking fires! all that resin would surely not taste good! Thanks for the demo on Spruce. Take care -Chris
+Windham Woodcraft I can imagine that cooking on those high pitch content woods wood be an interesting flavor. We very rarely get live tree blow down trees here locally. When trees do break or tip over, it is typically *AFTER* they have died and been standing long enough to rot at the base enough to break and fall.
As usual, another great vid.... Here in the South we are Pine rich and most people I know always keep some but I would have thought it would be hard too find there but yet again you impress me. I wish we had Burch around here.. Man it's 64* here tonight and I got a chill watching this but it's beautiful there. I envy you.. Keep up the great vids and be same bud.... N,Ga...
Nice fatwood harvest! Fatwood is an amazing thing to have when trying to start a fire! I always get my fill when I need to, when I go into the mountains of Arizona. I saw that this tree recently broke in half in June haven't been back yet, but I will for sure check it when I get back there.
That was great Lonnie, had no idea you could find it in spruce. I should be able to find it in black spruce too then, this tree seems to have more pitch than white/silver spruce in fact. Great demonstration! Blessings.
As always Lonnie , very good video. I have many different forms of fire starting items , for different conditions in my fire kit. But I need to add fatwood. Happy New Year to you and the Mrs. Peace
Great Video! I didn't know you could find it in the tree like that. Great to know! We actually found some fatwood from a cottonwood that had been killed when its bark was shredded off in a wind storm. That was crazy to see. Once park people came by to cut the tree down, the pieces and the trunk smelled strong and were darker. Of course, we snagged up the shredded bark too, which by the way made fantastic kindling! Thank you mother nature!
+alaskankare I recently did a video on the benefits of using cottonwood bark as a firewood fuel. Maybe you have already seen it. If not and am interested, the video is located at the link below. ua-cam.com/video/_ZrILO8XrOA/v-deo.html Fatwood does not seem to be very plentiful here so if a person finds some, it is a great find.
mornin,Lonnie; Always have some handy in all my kits usually in a lil bag J.I.K. 1 never knows the importance of the resource, until it's needed. Thanks 4 sharing this from your area, Friend. Hay Connie & 'Ole Friend Buck. " Merry Christmas " 2 All.....ATB Ter & Mel...God Bless
I live in the southern USA, and wish to tell you a little about fatwood sources down here. My dad taught me, and he was born in 1902, strictly a country boy. Here anywhere old time logging took place and the pine stumps were left in the ground, after about 10 to 15 years of natural decay, you can still see the stump, but when you kick it, the outer wood will be very rotten and just fall away. Often there is a hard core in the center of the stump. It is rich in resin and is fatwood. Sometimes it is easy to pull out of the ground, but if you find a good one, it can be several feet long and you have to pull it with a post puller or an old time farm bumper jack by wrapping a piece of chain around it to get it out. When my wife and I bought 5 acres out of town to build our home, I noticed that the bigger pines had been cut years before. Before we built, I went around and pulled all the fatwood from about 30 stumps I found to contain it on our place. We used shavings that I cut from those pieces with my bandsaw for years as firestarts in our wood heater. Wish I could find some other old logged out spots to get some today! Unfortunately modern logging practices result in the stumps being bulldozed out, winrowed and burned.
You found some good chunks there, I rearly find that much on spruce. Often find most when I dont want to, when making bowdrill sets.. LoL In the kinks and turns of exposed fingerthick spruce roots, I have found it from time to time, not to much but enough to make a couple of fires. Thank you Lonnie for another great tip, you tend to find rare and good ideas for your videos. -Odd
+NorwegianBushcraft I think maybe I saw that in one of your videos about fatwood in the roots that are exposed when they cross trails. I had forgot about that. Thank you for the compliment. you also have a first rate channel my friend
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival Nice, Lonnie. Very practical. I grew up around fatwood and didn't know about its water repellent properties. Of course, stop to think about it and it makes perfect sense. Funny story: When I was a kid, a few friends and I built a fort out in the woods. We found a huge old fallen log (3-4 foot vertically laying on its side). To us, it looked more like a freestanding wall than a log. So, we used it as the basis for our fort. Added more wood, tin roof, impromptu fireplace, chimney, whole 9 yards. Camped in it a few times. One day, I went out to see the fort after school and it was gone. Burnt to the ground, and still burning. Discovered later that the "foundation wall", that log, was one huge slab of fatwood. Yeah. Some kid didn't put the campfire out well enough the day before (which cleverly was inside the fort next to the log), it caught the log on fire overnight . The log burned and smoldered for days, if not a week. Good thing we didn't burn the forest down. Lifetime learning experience. Despite all that, I love fatwood. And I've never seen that much of it in one place since. Thanks again for the video and for bringing back a good old memory :-)
+onesimpleidea I don't believe I had ever seen that done with fatwood either where it is submerged in water and then lit. Just like you, I had the same thoughts - "it made sense". I tried it once and it worked. I loved the story. Even very experienced adults can have "accidents" with fire sometimes. About 10 years ago my son and I went up on a nearby mountain for a hike. Him and I lit a fire in the middle of the trail (for fire safety reasons) at a great overlook area where the valley stretched out below us. When it came time to go, my son and I dumped water on the fire and put it out. Well it just happened that my daughter and her friend also went up to the same spot about an hour later and the fire was smouldering. The weather had been extremely dry so there was zero ground moisture. The ground itself had caught fire and the fire was smouldering under ground in the roots etc. Luckily it was caught soon after we had left and the fire was really doused with lots of water to thoroughly soak the ground.
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival Lucky, and interesting. Reminds me of stories that I have heard about peat fires. You have probably addressed this many times, but I have never seen it. No need for specifics; not trying to pry; just want to consider it when I see the landscape, tree species, etc.: What area of AK are you in?
I love the smell it gives off when its burning, almost a fetish to me lol, didn't know it was so rare that far North though ? ! Thanks for sharing all your videos over the years Lonnie and Connie and may you both have a merry Christmas and a fabulous new year, atvb my friend, Ken
A great example of why everybody should carry multiple ways of starting a fire! I've never really delt with fatwood before, so its something I'm wating to try out!
+Brennan Jones Many different man made fire starters can be made that will work just as good as the fatwood but I have always preferred to learn how to get my items when possible from the woods so as to be self sufficient. I agree with always carrying several ways of lighting fire. In this video you seen where my lighter failed because it was too cold for the low volume of butane to gasify. Luckily I had another lighter in my pocket. I also had matches in my pocket as well as a ferro rod in my pockets.
Lonnie, Thank you for another useful video. Never thought to look for fat wood in a dead standing tree. I always looked for a fallen tree and checked for fat wood closer to the base of the tree trunk that has already fallen preferably a pine or spruce where you can see the roots above the surface of the ground. Apparently this is where you find concentrated levels of sap that hardens. Is that true? I find information but tread lightly until that information has been verified by someone with experience in bushcraft such as yourself.
+stevemichelle1203 Fatwood is not often found here and as a result, I am not that knowledgable on fatwood. As with everything else though I am learning more as time goes on. From what I have read and heard, you are right on track. The branches that are lower to the base of the tree may be good places to look but only the first few inches out from the tree. The roots may good as well as sometimes the lower trunk of the tree. in some locations, when the knots have weathered and fallen off the tree may also be good to pick up and investigate as well.
Hi Lonnie, yes mate fat wood is very useful stuff indeed, luckily we have plenty of coniferous trees around Britain so is reasonably easy to get hold of, good video bud, stay safe, stay warm, atb, Paul.
I live in the pacific northwest. When the loggers came through here in the early 1900s, they left these huge stumps and they contain lots of fatwood to this day. Great vid :)
+SouthPaw Bushcraft It is always good to *BE* out there as well. I too love the smell. I keep my fatwood in a sealed jar and I like to pop open the lid now and then and take a big whiff.
This is a prime example of why folks should carry a bushcrafting "belt chisel". It's a perfect tool for stuff like this. Anyways, great video as always!
+ouchymytoe Thank you. A chisel would work very well in this case. In fact I had thought of bringing a chisel to use for fatwood harvesting off this tree but have not done it yet.
+Brett Abernethy That would be interesting to hack into the roots to see. Would have to wait until Spring though for the ground to thaw out. I will keep an eye on the tree as it is in a location that I frequent. it will eventually fall on it's own, maybe this coming Spring.
+Karen B You are welcome. I did a video on my knife collection. The video is located here. ua-cam.com/video/Hqv4Q3vrNDg/v-deo.html and here ua-cam.com/video/rc92ZabH0II/v-deo.html I have recently replaced my Gerber hatchet since the handle broke in two near the head. I replaced the Gerber with the Husqvarna 13 inch hatchet which I really like. Sorry no I'm not going to talk about my gun/guns. I am not big on name brand knives, guns, camping, "bushcraft", etc products. I don't care much what name brand an item is. I care more about how that item performs. I also feel that a knowledgable person handling a cheap knife is a much more preferable situation than a novice with an expensive "top of the line" name brand custom knife. In other words names don't mean much to me. I plan to do a knife sharpening video but don't know when I will get to it.
A great way to harvest that type of fatwood is to use a drill with a hole saw. It will come out in large chunks. Fatwood can be found in almost any ever green tree. Great video Brother!
When I was out hunting one year, I found a large pine knot laying on the ground. the branch had apparently been pulled out of the tree, taking the knot with it. Everything had long since rotted away but the knot. I picked it up out of curiosity- and it weighed 2-3 lbs! I scraped it with my knife, and it's loaded with pitch. The entire thing is fat wood!! I presume it's White pine, as those grew all around there. (along with hemlocks and cedars) I used a little bit to start a small campfire, and it burned like a torch! Stuck the rest in my pack for future use, and still have it. With all the severe thunderstorms and ice storms we've had in the last 15 years, I bet you could find oodles of them out there. White Pine is FULL of pitch, and they're very common trees.
A few years ago, we got a couple cords of spruce for firewood. Some of this stuff was 3 feet in diameter, and I recall one of such blocks just saturated with pitch. It was heavy... heavy like it spent the last 20 years at the bottom of lake kinda heavy. Anyhow, I thought well that's nice, that'll make some nice kindling once I come across it in my woodpile, and so onto the woodpile it went. Well, by the time February rolled around, I had completely forgotten about it, and was loading up the woodbox for our fire when I found it... only I didn't recognize it. You see, here on Vancouver Island, it basically rains non-stop from September to June, and our wood shed has a few leaky spots. I'm accustomed to dragging in a heavy, soggy fire log from time to time, and that's precisely what I mistook this large chunk of fatwood for. Well, I chucked it onto the fire, and instantly realized what I had done. I thought I'd be making a 911 call over our blazing chimney fire, because I couldn't dampen it, else be overwhelmed with turpentine fumes in the house. It was a serious situation, but everything was fine.
great video! really enjoy your videos and the information you present in them. I do believe that fat wood can come from any resinous tree, including trees like tamerak (spelling?). we are lucky here in Manitoba to get pines, spruces and tamerak, all great sources of fat wood. your video also demonstrates the need for carrying some type of hatchet or axe in the north. would have been a lot of work to get that with just a knife and almost impossible with a saw IMHO. personally I don't leave home without my axe! cheers from Manitoba Canada!
+Nick Peters Thank you. I agree about the usefulness of a hatchet and the importance of carrying one in the North. In the winter up here there are times when one may need to chop ice in order to get a snow machine out that has dropped through the ice. There are also times when it is nice to be able to split wood. There are always a myriad of uses that arise that the hatchet is able to address better than a knife or shovel or any other tool that one may have with them. That is interesting that fatwood can be found on Tamarack also. We have Tamarack trees North of us. Always learning something new.
This is an abundant resource here where the long leaf yellow pine grows though not many of the indigenous locals call it fatwood. We always knew it as "lighter" or "lightered". There are lightered fence posts on our family farm that my grandfather and uncles set in the ground in the 1920's and 30's. Some of them have finally rotted off at the ground but everything above the ground is still as solid as the day they were set at posts.
+Woodsmoke Woodcraft School That is phenomenal that the fence posts lasted that long. Amazing. This same product has quite a few different names from locality to another.
Hi Lonnie, thank you for another great video. Nice to see that you have changed from a finnish product (Gerber/Fiskars) to a swedish one (Hultafors) ;-) You should get the HVK knife from them too. The belly will be better for skinning moose^^ Andreas
+real goshawk That Hultafors "Heavy Duty Knife GK" looks interesting. I wouldn't mind having that one. You are right. It has a better skinning shape than the mora Knives.
Hi Lonnie, thankyou for this informative video i enjoyed it. I know of fat wood plus the pitch and birch bark, are there more tree resources with flammable attributes please.
many times trees will contain lichens that will be flammable. Many tree barks are good for tinder. The inner bark of some dead and dry poplar and cottonwood are good as well as the outer bark of cedar trees. Many fungi that grows on trees are also good for fire use such as the birch polypore, horse hoof fungus and chaga to name a few. Here in Alaska, most spruce trees have dead branches on the lower part of the tree that contain tiny little branches or as we call them, twigs. Those are fantastic for getting a fire going. The dead needles from many pine trees make a great fire starters.
that tree will die. or what you did to the tree is not really harming? thank you, very interesting videos in your channel; and the awsome Alaska in the surrounding... thank you
+Tom M Thank you. I have got a phenomenal amount of comments on the flute music and the flute itself (homemade from PVC plumbing pipe). I was just thinking, I may just do a video of Alaska scenery with flute music playing some time in the future and see how it goes over with the viewers.
just a few wraps of mechanics wire will stable it up, making it stand up longer...that is what worked for me when i tested this. thanks for the inspiration.
Once again Lonnie....great vid.....just a note Sir, the Tipi hot tent that you inspired me to build is done and I will upload a walk around tomorrow. Also, this weekend is my bday and I plan a 2 night overnight with cooking and testing the home made rocket stove (ARS15) so stay tuned friend. Please leave a comment and Thumbs Up if you will.......ATB give Connie a hug
Good Lord Lonnie, you're gonna freeze you're arm off sticking it down in that snow hole like that! I know you're used to it, but it was 68 degrees here just south of Atlanta yesterday, December 9th, 2015! So far this fall at my house, 29 is the coldest we've been. Just cold enough to kill all of the Kudzu! When I was growing up, we called fatwood "lighter knot", we found it in old rotten pine trees. Sometimes you could find a "log" of it 6 or 8 feet long & 6 inches across and VERY heavy. My Granny was 100% Cherokee and lived in the Mountains in North Georgia and only cooked on a wood burning kitchen stove, even in the summertime. See would let me help her saw it and split little sticks of it. Of course she used it to light the stove, but she also used it for a torch outside at night to go to the outhouse. Ok, I've rambled on enough now so I'll shut up! Thanks Again for a Wonderful Video! Y'all Stay Warm and Safe!
+James White Thank you. Your Grandmother could have probably taught us many valuable lessons. The native Americans that I know are loosing the knowledge of the old ways rapidly. As the village elders pass away, so does most of the old time knowledge pass away with them and is lost to the younger generations.
***** -- Exactly. Her knowledge of wild plants was unbelievable. Nowadays we call them weeds. She was an Amazing Wise Woman, as was my mom. They could make any kind of clothing they wanted to just by seeing one. No pattern or anything! I wish I had One percent of their knowledge! Thanks Much!
Great video, more people should know about that stuff it's like gasoline. I just had an old pine, a Douglas fir I think, cut down last year I have a nice amount of Fatwood set aside and will get more as I wait for our winter to arrive. No snow here in Ohio send some our way.
Nice! We leave for Alaska next month so I bought 2 big bags from our local Home Depot. Each bag contains approximately 60 sticks. Wish there was a way to send you some.
+Santana Harris To double the usefulness, cut those sticks in half crosswise, so 60 sticks becomes 120 shorter sticks. Next, as you need them, split those sticks, as if splitting wood for the stove. (Keep pieces as large as possible, until need arises. Helps prevent oils from evaporating as quickly.) Often, especially when combined with good tinder, only a splinter's worth of fatwood is needed to start a fire. Like lighting a fire with a birthday candle. Rationing on a routine basis prolongs supply. And maintains a supply of big sticks longer in the event of an emergency need for such. Hope this helps. Godspeed on your trip.
+Santana Harris Enjoy your trip up North. You can buy fatwood in the stores here as well, though I'm quite sure it would be more expensive here. I believe that I have seen it in Wal-Mart down in the town of Wasilla. Sounds like you have quite a treasure trove of the stuff. Should last you a while.
+Zerkbern Our home is on the electrical grid and we have everything most other folks have around our nation. So we have constant internet. We do however have a remote cabin that we like to spend time at and there is no internet there at all yet. I think internet capabilities are possible there through cell phone but we have to hike up on the nearby ridge to get cell service.
Hello Lonnie! I think it easier to find fatwood on dead pinetrees, bigger pieces and more common. How is it in Alaska, do you have a lot of pines? Best regards Erik.
+Erik Lundkvist Hello my friend. We do not have any local natural pines here. We do however see pine trees in peoples yards that they have planted and the pines do well and are healthy. Pine do naturally grow in Southeast Alaska but not here in southcentral or interior.
+1fanger You would want the pitch for that. Although fat wood can and will sustain a flame, once the oils have burned and evaporated and the fibres starts to burn, your candle will go up in flames (pun intended). Sap on the other hand doesn't have fibres in it so to speak and will last 4-5 longer.
+1fanger Yes Switcher is correct. Yes the fatwood would work but a pitch lamp would be much better. I did a video on useing oil from Birch bark to make a lamp that also worked well. The birch bark primitive oil lamp video is here if interested. ua-cam.com/video/fbtMmDQBmTQ/v-deo.html
I love fat wood! Its my favorite fire starter. The nice thing is that a nice size piece can last a while. Also, you can make your own fat wood. If you find a chunk of dry or fresh sap from pine or spruce, you put in a tin with some wood, and put it over a fire to melt the sap, the wood will soak it up and there ya go. It works but not as good, but if good tinder is hard to find, its a life saver!
+Todd Klekotka Your method of homemade fatwood gives me an idea. I will try out my idea to see if it works. If my idea works then I may do a video on it to show others.
I didnt know this tip at all, very well done video, my only question is if fatwood can be found on most pine trees? im located in southern canada so im not sure of the pine species difference between Alaska and Ontario
I have a mature blue spruce in my front yard. I trim the lower branches to plant a shade garden under it. The branch stumps run sap for the entire season. Winds too the top 25 feet out of the tree and it took almost a year before I could get a service to come in and prune the stump 40 feet off the ground. there is a chanced that the tree will split and form a new top leader. Maybe. I am willing to give it another 30 years to try.
Good to know. Here in SW Montana, we have none of the traditional sources of fatwood (no broadleaf pines around here), but now and then I'll find a little on a damaged trunk (usually black bear damage) of a scotts pine. I never even though to inspect a dead spruce. Next time out at spruce altitude, I'll keep an eye out. Thanks!
+Catherine Perrett I agree on the fatwood. I'm really liking the hatchet as well. It is heavier than my old Gerber but that weight comes in handy when in use.
+Joseph Russell Sounds like you hit the mother lode. We are not so fortunate here as many in lower America. Our trees are too small to economically commercially log. Because there is no logging, there is no stumps from cut green trees. Fatwood here is quite rare as near as I have been able to find out.
+Joseph Russell I really appreciate the offer. However I prefer to find and use the local materials. If I can't find it locally then I won't learn to rely on it. Thank you very much though for the offer.
I’ve been burning a lot of beetle killed spruce and most of the lower section burns like it’s a tire. It doesn’t look red like fat wood but it burns like it’s been soaked in lighter fluid.
Hey Far North, I'm curious as to how you identified the tree as "dead standing". It appears to have greenery still growing from it. Can you elaborate on this? Thanks.
+Theball Player Good eye. The "green" is a form of lichen and not spruce needles as it may appear in the video. There are no longer any needles remaining anywhere on the tree and the tree has been dead long enough that the bark was even coming away in small sheets in places as I was trying to expose the bare wood trunk of the tree. This would never happen to any local live trees in winter. The bark would be stuck tenaciously to the underlying wood.
I was not familiar with fat wood. We had a large white pine 42 inch diameter tree that was heavily damage years ago. It came down in a storm last year. We cut it up except for the last 10 or 12 feet of the stump end. It was still attached to the roots and suspended in air. My brother and I decided to try to burn it one winter but didn't expect that it would burn that well. He put a small bunch of paper under the end and inside of 15 minutes it was burning so well we put the water hose on it to slow it down. In 1 night it completely burned up. The fire even followed the roots back. I have never seen anything like it before. I can only assume it was all this fat wood.
If you happen to be wearing gloves keeping your bic in your off hand glove is an easy way to keep the fuel from freezing. With a mini size bic you'll almost forget it's there.
lonnie I mentioned before I was disabled. my biggest heartache was the lack of time I spent with my sons. since watching your videos for a few weeks my 12yr old son and I have been camping. he helps me on my sticks and wheelchair even in remote areas. we get stuck we laugh I tell him what to do. he does it we have a great time. you esteemed sir have been our inspiration. I tell my son uncle lonnie says blah blah. thank you for helping a grumpy man into a happy man. nick
Nick that is really awesome and I am honored to have the opportunity to bring you and your son closer through shared positive experiences.
signed
"Uncle Lonnie"
Resin (or pitch) is the trees' blood. You mostly find it at the 'root' of branches. When pine or spruce trees fall, the roots of the tree keep pumping resin up the tree even though it's fallen already. So another good place to find resin is in the stumps. You might have to cut in a bit but you will definitely find quite a lot. Thanks for the demo, brother and God bless))
+Grimrippa1 Thank you and you are welcome. Fat wood here is quite rare I believe. Since our trees are too small to commercially log there are no stumps from live trees being cut. We don't usually get high winds to blow live trees over either. So most of our trees that are busted off and might have produced fatwood did not fall over until after they were dead and the roots no longer supplying pitch/ resin.
Thank you for showing us where to find fat wood. Everybody talks about it but your the first to show it's harvesting. Thanks!
A few years back, I moved into a place that had a woodstove in it. This was the first place of my own that had a wood burning stove. I was able to practice my fire building and lighting skills often and very easily. I found a very large chunk of fatwood that came in a load of wood I had delivered for winter. This was my first encounter with fatwood and now I try and use it anytime I build a fire. I don't have much pine in the area I go and play while outside but I do have lots of spruce. So now I have a new place to look for fatwood. Thanks for the video.
+EliNicks You are welcome. I personally enjoy heating with wood. There just isn't any warmth I have ever experienced that is as nice as wood heat. That stove is always there to back up to when one is feeling chilly unlike so many other sources of heat. Fatwood would be a great woodstove fire lighting source for sure.
Lonnie I love the start of your videos. So nice to see the beautiful mountains and hear the peaceful music. Thanks for such great videos! My husband I are learning a lot.
Thanks Lonnie. Great video. I have always had my best luck finding fat wood in the last 8 or 9 inches of dead branches as close to the tree trunk as possible
+Mark Young (Shunpyke) I showed in this video (I thought) about cutting the branches off close to the trunk and finding fatwood there. Unfortunately when I got home, the branch end that I showed to the camera was out of the cameras view. lol I had to leave that part out then. I did show in the video briefly the tree trunk itself where I cut the limb off and you can see the fatwood there.
How come every time I come to this channel I learn something useful? LOL.
Because you have great videos! Thanks for teaching me something very useful..AGAIN!
+Catwomanmn I am glad you are learning from the videos. That is good news for me to hear. Thank you.
Once again Lonnie, thanks a bunch. Learning everyday a little bit more. Thank you so much for sharing.
Nice video Lonnie. Fatwood is a great natural made life saver. Thanks for sharing. Dan
+Dan Haas You are welcome Dan. Thank you.
I'm not going out without fatwood, thanks for your demonstration my friend!!!! all the best, Taro
+Taromovies Swiss Bushcraft & Survival It's easy to find good fatwood here where I'm from. It's my favorite fire starting material.I just use my saw to make some sawdust and strike it with my ferro rod. It will usually flame up very quickly. Thanks for the great demo Lonnie!
+Mike Stilett I can only agree Mike, i just make a video about how i like to use the ferro rod with fatwood, don't get me wrong but if you like have a look at it, just sharing my opinion, Taro
+Mike Stilett Oh i see you one of my subscriber, thanks for your support my friend!!!!! all the best, Taro
+Taromovies Swiss Bushcraft & Survival I just watched your video. It's a great demonstration of exactly what I was saying. I don't know how I missed seeing this video, as I am one of your subscribers, and I really enjoy watching your videos!
+Taromovies Swiss Bushcraft & Survival Thank you. You are welcome . your fatwood and ferro rod video is a well done and informative video. Good job.
Greetings Lonnie
That was a very nice fine and seems to be really rare here in Alaska. I have found a wee bit but nothing like what you found. Great job Lonnie, Thanks
Larry
+TatDarYow Thank you my friend. I agree that it just isn't as easy to find up here as it is in a lot of the lower 48 areas.
You have inspired me to go camping "primitive style" and i've found bunch of fatwood in my homecountry Denmark
- Elias
Another very informative video! Where I live in central Wisconsin, Fat Wood is fairly abundant yet it takes awhile to find and harvest. One other backup plan I use...seeing that I am a zippo lighter guy is this...In a small glass jar I place small strips of Birch Bark and fill the bottle 3/4 full of zippo lighter fluid and screw the top on. On my zippo I have a cut piece of bicycle tire tubing to keep it water proof. Around both I keep a ranger band and attached one of those, a boat hollow float, with water proof matches inside. Now I have many ways to start a fire but if I drop my gear into the river, etc. I also have a quick way to start that emergency fire and dry out and it will not sink. Of coarse fat wood would work also but I also have a back up to fill my zippo if it renders itself dry without carrying the large refill can.
+john- waxerone That is a good idea to have the extra zippo fuel for extended trips especially. Sounds like you are well prepared
Very Cool! I will be heading into the bush for a week Sunday! Gonna keep my eyes open.
We use fatwood or fat lighter all the time. If we want some in a hurry around the camp we go out looking for the downed trees or ones that are still standing with the limbs and bark all fallen off of them, we walk around them and pick up the old parts of the limbs where they were attached to the trees. Most of these knots will be good fat lighter. But if you can find a good stump, you will be in fat lighter heaven and have a big supply of the best fat lighter. If you hear someone talking about lighter knots like we all do here, it is the ends of the limbs where they attach to the tree like you were doing. We like picking up the knots that have already fallen because it is quick and a minimum amount of work is required if you are in a hurry. Thanks for a great video. We appreciate the time and work you put into making videos for us. Sure looks cold there. But it is beautiful
+dalton vickers We have very little fatwood here in any form I believe and so I am just not real familiar with it. I am however learning a lot of good info here from you good folks who are commenting on this video. I will be checking more of the dead trees around here like you suggest. I don't have my hopes very high however as the trees that are down on the ground around here only fall after they are dead and have been standing dead for enough years to rot at the base enough to weaken the base and fall over. I have never found "lighter knots" laying around and I think the reason is that they decompose just as fast as the rest of the tree trunk because they have no high resin content due to the tree dying while still standing up. Thanks for the info on how you do it.
I was given fatwood and I never thought to ask how to obtain it, thank you for your instructive video once again.
Merry Christmas to you and Connie.
+Tall Cedars Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones as well. Thank you. Fatwood is a very useful item and definitely one worth learning how to find. Good luck.
Very good! Very important! Many thanks Lonnie!
+Waldhandwerk - BushcraftSurvival You are welcome and thank you. I enjoyed your latest video. You must have *VERY* cold.
Hi Lonnie, Well, you showed an old Yukoner a new trick today. Many thanks my friend.
+Johnny Yukon Glad I had the honor of being the one to reveal something new. Have a good one
As always, thank you for teaching, my friend. Especially when showing folks treasures they may not realize are in the own backyards. You made me shiver when you fished that fatwood out of ice water. Burrrrr Made me appreciate, even more, your efforts in giving others the opportunity to learn.
+Oldtimer Lee It was a bit chilly on the exposed hands since there is a breeze blowing. You can see my hat ear flap moving in the breeze when at the creek.
My goodness that is some beautiful country your showing in the introduction of this video. Fat wood is great for anyone who enjoys outdoors activities, camping, bushcraft or just having a backyard fire for marshmallows.
Fatwood, a bushcrafters gold! Very nice video Lonnie!
+Sty North "Bushcrafters Gold" I like that. Thanks my friend for watching.
Always great videos Love the snow.How lucky you are to live there.
+nativeamericanwanderer I enjoy living here for sure. To tell the truth though, it would be nice if we could get MORE snow. We have unseasonably low snow so far.
Yes I always keep a good supply of fatwood or pitch as we call it down here in Ga in my pack. Never know when you might need a good fire. Thanks for the videos Lonnie, I really appreciate them. I would love to spend some time up there in Alaska ! Beautiful country.
+Lawton Murrey You are welcome . Who knows, maybe someday you just might make it up here at least for a visit.
That is awesome. Thank you. I learned something from this. Next time I am up on the mountain, I will definitely be looking for fat wood.
+Kenneth Davenport You are welcome and thank you. Good luck in your search.
Great score on that spruce. here in southern Maine we have mostly white pine. Fatwood can be found in the same manner around the old pine knots (branches) I have found that the best place to get it from white pine is in the stump. I look for trees that have been tipped over by wind and chop at the root base.
I just went to Mississippi for the first time and was amazed at the Southern Pines! They are loaded from top to bottom! I found out that's why they don't use pine for there cooking fires! all that resin would surely not taste good!
Thanks for the demo on Spruce. Take care -Chris
+Windham Woodcraft I can imagine that cooking on those high pitch content woods wood be an interesting flavor. We very rarely get live tree blow down trees here locally. When trees do break or tip over, it is typically *AFTER* they have died and been standing long enough to rot at the base enough to break and fall.
As usual, another great vid.... Here in the South we are Pine rich and most people I know always keep some but I would have thought it would be hard too find there but yet again you impress me. I wish we had Burch around here.. Man it's 64* here tonight and I got a chill watching this but it's beautiful there. I envy you.. Keep up the great vids and be same bud.... N,Ga...
+Danny Harrison Ahhhh 64 degrees. That sounds nice about now. Thank you.
Nice fatwood harvest! Fatwood is an amazing thing to have when trying to start a fire! I always get my fill when I need to, when I go into the mountains of Arizona. I saw that this tree recently broke in half in June haven't been back yet, but I will for sure check it when I get back there.
+Jason McDaniel That is great that you have a good supply there. It is indeed a great tool for fire starting.
That was great Lonnie, had no idea you could find it in spruce. I should be able to find it in black spruce too then, this tree seems to have more pitch than white/silver spruce in fact. Great demonstration! Blessings.
+Canesser Thank you my friend. This is a white spruce in this video. That would be interesting to hear if you do ever find it in Black Spruce.
As always Lonnie , very good video. I have many different forms of fire starting items , for different conditions in my fire kit. But I need to add fatwood.
Happy New Year to you and the Mrs.
Peace
Nice video fatwood is good stuff for sure thanks for sharing happy holidays atb John
+Turtle Bushcraft Thank you John. May you and your loved ones also have a blessed Christmas.
Great Video! I didn't know you could find it in the tree like that. Great to know! We actually found some fatwood from a cottonwood that had been killed when its bark was shredded off in a wind storm. That was crazy to see. Once park people came by to cut the tree down, the pieces and the trunk smelled strong and were darker. Of course, we snagged up the shredded bark too, which by the way made fantastic kindling! Thank you mother nature!
+alaskankare I recently did a video on the benefits of using cottonwood bark as a firewood fuel. Maybe you have already seen it. If not and am interested, the video is located at the link below.
ua-cam.com/video/_ZrILO8XrOA/v-deo.html
Fatwood does not seem to be very plentiful here so if a person finds some, it is a great find.
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival yes I just saw that one. Its nice to see how the trees in our areas can be used.
I know about fat wood, but your video was fascinating. Thank you.
great video, thanks for sharing that was some good info. take care.
+Rusty Nail Thanks Rusty
your welcome.
Great video as always, very informative plus intro music is the best, cheers from across the pond craig
+Craig Twiner Thank you across-the-pond-Craig. :o) Glad you enjoyed the video. The intro is from my homemade PVC plumbing pipe flute.
+Craig Twiner P.S. Cheers from over on this side of the pond. Atb
mornin,Lonnie; Always have some handy in all my kits usually in a lil bag J.I.K. 1 never knows the importance of the resource, until it's needed. Thanks 4 sharing this from your area, Friend. Hay Connie & 'Ole Friend Buck. " Merry Christmas " 2 All.....ATB Ter & Mel...God Bless
+T.W. Milburn (skillet210) Hello to you too my friend. Thank you. Connie and Buck both wish you and your loved ones a merry Christmas also.
Love fat wood Lonnie. Never go anywhere with out it. Thanks for sharing this video with us.
awsome video Lonnie. I've seen before but never knew the importance. Thanks.
+michael todd Glad the video revealed something new. Thank you.
I live in the southern USA, and wish to tell you a little about fatwood sources down here. My dad taught me, and he was born in 1902, strictly a country boy. Here anywhere old time logging took place and the pine stumps were left in the ground, after about 10 to 15 years of natural decay, you can still see the stump, but when you kick it, the outer wood will be very rotten and just fall away. Often there is a hard core in the center of the stump. It is rich in resin and is fatwood. Sometimes it is easy to pull out of the ground, but if you find a good one, it can be several feet long and you have to pull it with a post puller or an old time farm bumper jack by wrapping a piece of chain around it to get it out. When my wife and I bought 5 acres out of town to build our home, I noticed that the bigger pines had been cut years before. Before we built, I went around and pulled all the fatwood from about 30 stumps I found to contain it on our place. We used shavings that I cut from those pieces with my bandsaw for years as firestarts in our wood heater. Wish I could find some other old logged out spots to get some today! Unfortunately modern logging practices result in the stumps being bulldozed out, winrowed and burned.
You found some good chunks there, I rearly find that much on spruce. Often find most when I dont want to, when making bowdrill sets.. LoL
In the kinks and turns of exposed fingerthick spruce roots, I have found it from time to time, not to much but enough to make a couple of fires.
Thank you Lonnie for another great tip, you tend to find rare and good ideas for your videos.
-Odd
+NorwegianBushcraft I think maybe I saw that in one of your videos about fatwood in the roots that are exposed when they cross trails. I had forgot about that. Thank you for the compliment. you also have a first rate channel my friend
I`m just a novice learning from gurus like you Lonnie ;)
Thank you agian my friend.
-Odd
+NorwegianBushcraft Thank you You are far from a novice my friend. We all learn from each other.
I buy mine in bags from Home Depot. The fatwood I've found in the forest is at the base of rotten pine tree bases. Thanks for sharing.
+Ceco556 Yeah we can get the fatwood in town here too. I kind of hate to buy it in town if I can find it in the woods though.
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival Nice, Lonnie. Very practical. I grew up around fatwood and didn't know about its water repellent properties. Of course, stop to think about it and it makes perfect sense.
Funny story: When I was a kid, a few friends and I built a fort out in the woods. We found a huge old fallen log (3-4 foot vertically laying on its side). To us, it looked more like a freestanding wall than a log. So, we used it as the basis for our fort. Added more wood, tin roof, impromptu fireplace, chimney, whole 9 yards. Camped in it a few times. One day, I went out to see the fort after school and it was gone. Burnt to the ground, and still burning. Discovered later that the "foundation wall", that log, was one huge slab of fatwood. Yeah. Some kid didn't put the campfire out well enough the day before (which cleverly was inside the fort next to the log), it caught the log on fire overnight . The log burned and smoldered for days, if not a week. Good thing we didn't burn the forest down. Lifetime learning experience. Despite all that, I love fatwood. And I've never seen that much of it in one place since. Thanks again for the video and for bringing back a good old memory :-)
+onesimpleidea I don't believe I had ever seen that done with fatwood either where it is submerged in water and then lit. Just like you, I had the same thoughts - "it made sense". I tried it once and it worked. I loved the story. Even very experienced adults can have "accidents" with fire sometimes. About 10 years ago my son and I went up on a nearby mountain for a hike. Him and I lit a fire in the middle of the trail (for fire safety reasons) at a great overlook area where the valley stretched out below us. When it came time to go, my son and I dumped water on the fire and put it out. Well it just happened that my daughter and her friend also went up to the same spot about an hour later and the fire was smouldering. The weather had been extremely dry so there was zero ground moisture. The ground itself had caught fire and the fire was smouldering under ground in the roots etc. Luckily it was caught soon after we had left and the fire was really doused with lots of water to thoroughly soak the ground.
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival Lucky, and interesting. Reminds me of stories that I have heard about peat fires.
You have probably addressed this many times, but I have never seen it. No need for specifics; not trying to pry; just want to consider it when I see the landscape, tree species, etc.: What area of AK are you in?
+onesimpleidea I am located in South Central Alaska and not real near the coast.
Exelent video! Thanks for sharing :)
- Martin
+NorwegianWoods You are welcome Martin. Thank you for watching.
Thanks for the tip, could save a life one day. Take care.
+kjuyfif You are welcome. Glad you liked the video.
Ah ! Already a brand new FNBAS video! That's quite quick after the previous one. Thanks !!
+Dutch Prepper You are welcome. Thanks for watching.
I love the smell it gives off when its burning, almost a fetish to me lol, didn't know it was so rare that far North though ? ! Thanks for sharing all your videos over the years Lonnie and Connie and may you both have a merry Christmas and a fabulous new year, atvb my friend, Ken
+rasputin0452 Thank you Ken. May you and your loved ones also have a blessed Christmas.
Another great video. Thanks.
Thanks for the useful info my friend keep the videos coming
+Yooper Digger57 You are welcome. Thanks for watching.
I've never seen anything like that before. Wow!!
+adarkerlight Glad I had the honor of being the one to provide the new info in this case. Thank you.
Nice find Lonnie. Good video. In southeast usa we call it lighter-knot.
+Hoonozit Thank you. I have heard this useful item referred toi by many different names in different locations.
A great example of why everybody should carry multiple ways of starting a fire! I've never really delt with fatwood before, so its something I'm wating to try out!
+Brennan Jones Many different man made fire starters can be made that will work just as good as the fatwood but I have always preferred to learn how to get my items when possible from the woods so as to be self sufficient. I agree with always carrying several ways of lighting fire. In this video you seen where my lighter failed because it was too cold for the low volume of butane to gasify. Luckily I had another lighter in my pocket. I also had matches in my pocket as well as a ferro rod in my pockets.
Gotta love the fat wood. We get some pretty nice stuff here in the California mountains. Mostly pine trees so it's abundant.
+mobiltec You are fortunate to have a readily available source.
Lonnie, Thank you for another useful video. Never thought to look for fat wood in a dead standing tree. I always looked for a fallen tree and checked for fat wood closer to the base of the tree trunk that has already fallen preferably a pine or spruce where you can see the roots above the surface of the ground. Apparently this is where you find concentrated levels of sap that hardens. Is that true? I find information but tread lightly until that information has been verified by someone with experience in bushcraft such as yourself.
+stevemichelle1203 Fatwood is not often found here and as a result, I am not that knowledgable on fatwood. As with everything else though I am learning more as time goes on. From what I have read and heard, you are right on track. The branches that are lower to the base of the tree may be good places to look but only the first few inches out from the tree. The roots may good as well as sometimes the lower trunk of the tree. in some locations, when the knots have weathered and fallen off the tree may also be good to pick up and investigate as well.
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival Lonnie, thanks again! I appreciate your quick and honest response. As always, we live your videos. Awesome.
Hi Lonnie, yes mate fat wood is very useful stuff indeed, luckily we have plenty of coniferous trees around Britain so is reasonably easy to get hold of, good video bud, stay safe, stay warm, atb, Paul.
+Neanderthal 62 You are blessed to have a readily accessible supply. Atb to you as well Paul. Thank you.
That was a good tip Lonnie. Where I live we have fat wood from Pine.....Good stuff to carry...Digger
+robert k Thank you. I agree "Digger" great stuff.
I live in the pacific northwest. When the loggers came through here in the early 1900s, they left these huge stumps and they contain lots of fatwood to this day.
Great vid :)
+Shea Stageberg Thank you. Wow that is amazing that the fatwood is still usable after all these years.
ye, most of the other wood has rotted away and the fatwood is left behind. :)
great video! There is nothing like fatwood. The smell is amazing but its use is unlike anything out there! Great to see you out again Lonnie! ~Dawn
+SouthPaw Bushcraft It is always good to *BE* out there as well. I too love the smell. I keep my fatwood in a sealed jar and I like to pop open the lid now and then and take a big whiff.
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival Oooo now that's a good idea! Jessie LOVES the smell so much I should make her up a sniffy jar like that LOL.
This is a prime example of why folks should carry a bushcrafting "belt chisel". It's a perfect tool for stuff like this. Anyways, great video as always!
+ouchymytoe Thank you. A chisel would work very well in this case. In fact I had thought of bringing a chisel to use for fatwood harvesting off this tree but have not done it yet.
Great saturation in that one. I would love to see what the roots look like. Since they are often saturated in a stressed tree such as this one.
+Brett Abernethy That would be interesting to hack into the roots to see. Would have to wait until Spring though for the ground to thaw out. I will keep an eye on the tree as it is in a location that I frequent. it will eventually fall on it's own, maybe this coming Spring.
Good info there my friend...Thanks
very nice the way you show it,its realistic so real
Atb
Steve
+so steve Glad you like the presentation style. I enjoying recording and sharing these videos.
Great information thank you so much
Thank-you for the great info. I was wondering if you could tell us about your choice of knives and hand guns, and how to care for them. Thanks.
+Karen B You are welcome. I did a video on my knife collection. The video is located here.
ua-cam.com/video/Hqv4Q3vrNDg/v-deo.html
and here
ua-cam.com/video/rc92ZabH0II/v-deo.html
I have recently replaced my Gerber hatchet since the handle broke in two near the head. I replaced the Gerber with the Husqvarna 13 inch hatchet which I really like. Sorry no I'm not going to talk about my gun/guns. I am not big on name brand knives, guns, camping, "bushcraft", etc products. I don't care much what name brand an item is. I care more about how that item performs. I also feel that a knowledgable person handling a cheap knife is a much more preferable situation than a novice with an expensive "top of the line" name brand custom knife. In other words names don't mean much to me. I plan to do a knife sharpening video but don't know when I will get to it.
A great way to harvest that type of fatwood is to use a drill with a hole saw. It will come out in large chunks. Fatwood can be found in almost any ever green tree. Great video Brother!
+Jon Cothran Thank you and you are welcome. That is a great idea that I have never thought of.
When I was out hunting one year, I found a large pine knot laying on the ground. the branch had apparently been pulled out of the tree, taking the knot with it. Everything had long since rotted away but the knot. I picked it up out of curiosity- and it weighed 2-3 lbs! I scraped it with my knife, and it's loaded with pitch. The entire thing is fat wood!! I presume it's White pine, as those grew all around there. (along with hemlocks and cedars) I used a little bit to start a small campfire, and it burned like a torch! Stuck the rest in my pack for future use, and still have it. With all the severe thunderstorms and ice storms we've had in the last 15 years, I bet you could find oodles of them out there. White Pine is FULL of pitch, and they're very common trees.
We have no pine trees of any variety here where we live. Your suggestions for those who do have white pine may prove helpful for them.
A few years ago, we got a couple cords of spruce for firewood. Some of this stuff was 3 feet in diameter, and I recall one of such blocks just saturated with pitch. It was heavy... heavy like it spent the last 20 years at the bottom of lake kinda heavy. Anyhow, I thought well that's nice, that'll make some nice kindling once I come across it in my woodpile, and so onto the woodpile it went. Well, by the time February rolled around, I had completely forgotten about it, and was loading up the woodbox for our fire when I found it... only I didn't recognize it. You see, here on Vancouver Island, it basically rains non-stop from September to June, and our wood shed has a few leaky spots. I'm accustomed to dragging in a heavy, soggy fire log from time to time, and that's precisely what I mistook this large chunk of fatwood for. Well, I chucked it onto the fire, and instantly realized what I had done. I thought I'd be making a 911 call over our blazing chimney fire, because I couldn't dampen it, else be overwhelmed with turpentine fumes in the house. It was a serious situation, but everything was fine.
great video! really enjoy your videos and the information you present in them. I do believe that fat wood can come from any resinous tree, including trees like tamerak (spelling?). we are lucky here in Manitoba to get pines, spruces and tamerak, all great sources of fat wood. your video also demonstrates the need for carrying some type of hatchet or axe in the north. would have been a lot of work to get that with just a knife and almost impossible with a saw IMHO. personally I don't leave home without my axe! cheers from Manitoba Canada!
+Nick Peters Thank you. I agree about the usefulness of a hatchet and the importance of carrying one in the North. In the winter up here there are times when one may need to chop ice in order to get a snow machine out that has dropped through the ice. There are also times when it is nice to be able to split wood. There are always a myriad of uses that arise that the hatchet is able to address better than a knife or shovel or any other tool that one may have with them. That is interesting that fatwood can be found on Tamarack also. We have Tamarack trees North of us. Always learning something new.
This is an abundant resource here where the long leaf yellow pine grows though not many of the indigenous locals call it fatwood. We always knew it as "lighter" or "lightered". There are lightered fence posts on our family farm that my grandfather and uncles set in the ground in the 1920's and 30's. Some of them have finally rotted off at the ground but everything above the ground is still as solid as the day they were set at posts.
+Woodsmoke Woodcraft School That is phenomenal that the fence posts lasted that long. Amazing. This same product has quite a few different names from locality to another.
Hi Lonnie,
thank you for another great video. Nice to see that you have changed from a finnish product (Gerber/Fiskars) to a swedish one (Hultafors) ;-) You should get the HVK knife from them too. The belly will be better for skinning moose^^
Andreas
+real goshawk That Hultafors "Heavy Duty Knife GK" looks interesting. I wouldn't mind having that one. You are right. It has a better skinning shape than the mora Knives.
Hi Lonnie, thankyou for this informative video i enjoyed it. I know of fat wood plus the pitch and birch bark, are there more tree resources with flammable attributes please.
many times trees will contain lichens that will be flammable. Many tree barks are good for tinder. The inner bark of some dead and dry poplar and cottonwood are good as well as the outer bark of cedar trees. Many fungi that grows on trees are also good for fire use such as the birch polypore, horse hoof fungus and chaga to name a few. Here in Alaska, most spruce trees have dead branches on the lower part of the tree that contain tiny little branches or as we call them, twigs. Those are fantastic for getting a fire going. The dead needles from many pine trees make a great fire starters.
Far North Bushcraft And Survival thankyou for such a comprehensive reply.
that tree will die. or what you did to the tree is not really harming?
thank you, very interesting videos in your channel; and the awsome Alaska in the surrounding... thank you
+nientediche Thank you and you are welcome. No the tree will not die......it is already dead. :o)
Lonnie good information as always. Darn Zippos just keep on a working ...mine 47+ years now. Best
+Tom M Thank you. Wow 47 years on the same Zippo. Awesome.
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival Dang love your flute music. Best
+Tom M Thank you. I have got a phenomenal amount of comments on the flute music and the flute itself (homemade from PVC plumbing pipe). I was just thinking, I may just do a video of Alaska scenery with flute music playing some time in the future and see how it goes over with the viewers.
just a few wraps of mechanics wire will stable it up, making it stand up longer...that is what worked for me when i tested this. thanks for the inspiration.
Once again Lonnie....great vid.....just a note Sir, the Tipi hot tent that you inspired me to build is done and I will upload a walk around tomorrow. Also, this weekend is my bday and I plan a 2 night overnight with cooking and testing the home made rocket stove (ARS15) so stay tuned friend. Please leave a comment and Thumbs Up if you will.......ATB give Connie a hug
+TooBads WildSide Happy Birthday. hope you enjoy your campout.
fatwood has saved my ass a few times - amazing back up
Good Lord Lonnie, you're gonna freeze you're arm off sticking it down in that snow hole like that! I know you're used to it, but it was 68 degrees here just south of Atlanta yesterday, December 9th, 2015! So far this fall at my house, 29 is the coldest we've been. Just cold enough to kill all of the Kudzu!
When I was growing up, we called fatwood "lighter knot", we found it in old rotten pine trees. Sometimes you could find a "log" of it 6 or 8 feet long & 6 inches across and VERY heavy. My Granny was 100% Cherokee and lived in the Mountains in North Georgia and only cooked on a wood burning kitchen stove, even in the summertime. See would let me help her saw it and split little sticks of it. Of course she used it to light the stove, but she also used it for a torch outside at night to go to the outhouse.
Ok, I've rambled on enough now so I'll shut up!
Thanks Again for a Wonderful Video! Y'all Stay Warm and Safe!
+James White Thank you. Your Grandmother could have probably taught us many valuable lessons. The native Americans that I know are loosing the knowledge of the old ways rapidly. As the village elders pass away, so does most of the old time knowledge pass away with them and is lost to the younger generations.
***** -- Exactly. Her knowledge of wild plants was unbelievable. Nowadays we call them weeds. She was an Amazing Wise Woman, as was my mom. They could make any kind of clothing they wanted to just by seeing one. No pattern or anything! I wish I had One percent of their knowledge! Thanks Much!
Great video, more people should know about that stuff it's like gasoline. I just had an old pine, a Douglas fir I think, cut down last year I have a nice amount of Fatwood set aside and will get more as I wait for our winter to arrive. No snow here in Ohio send some our way.
+Eagle 467 Thank you. I would love to send you some snow. Unfortunately, we don't have enough for ourselves either.
Well the next time I'm up your way It should be summer. Guess I'll have to keep on praying for snow lol.
Nice! We leave for Alaska next month so I bought 2 big bags from our local Home Depot. Each bag contains approximately 60 sticks. Wish there was a way to send you some.
+Santana Harris To double the usefulness, cut those sticks in half crosswise, so 60 sticks becomes 120 shorter sticks. Next, as you need them, split those sticks, as if splitting wood for the stove. (Keep pieces as large as possible, until need arises. Helps prevent oils from evaporating as quickly.) Often, especially when combined with good tinder, only a splinter's worth of fatwood is needed to start a fire. Like lighting a fire with a birthday candle. Rationing on a routine basis prolongs supply. And maintains a supply of big sticks longer in the event of an emergency need for such. Hope this helps. Godspeed on your trip.
Thank you!
+Santana Harris Enjoy your trip up North. You can buy fatwood in the stores here as well, though I'm quite sure it would be more expensive here. I believe that I have seen it in Wal-Mart down in the town of Wasilla. Sounds like you have quite a treasure trove of the stuff. Should last you a while.
Thank you for this. Keep it up. Hey, how often do you have Internet access? Do you have to travel to get it?
+Zerkbern Our home is on the electrical grid and we have everything most other folks have around our nation. So we have constant internet. We do however have a remote cabin that we like to spend time at and there is no internet there at all yet. I think internet capabilities are possible there through cell phone but we have to hike up on the nearby ridge to get cell service.
Hello Lonnie! I think it easier to find fatwood on dead pinetrees, bigger pieces and more common. How is it in Alaska, do you have a lot of pines?
Best regards Erik.
+Erik Lundkvist Hello my friend. We do not have any local natural pines here. We do however see pine trees in peoples yards that they have planted and the pines do well and are healthy. Pine do naturally grow in Southeast Alaska but not here in southcentral or interior.
Hey Lonnie, pretty neat demo, thanks. I wonder if there`s a way to make a couple of fatwood lamps for your lean to. That would be awesome.
+1fanger You would want the pitch for that. Although fat wood can and will sustain a flame, once the oils have burned and evaporated and the fibres starts to burn, your candle will go up in flames (pun intended). Sap on the other hand doesn't have fibres in it so to speak and will last 4-5 longer.
Switcher I see.
1fanger
My pleasure :)
+1fanger Yes Switcher is correct. Yes the fatwood would work but a pitch lamp would be much better. I did a video on useing oil from Birch bark to make a lamp that also worked well. The birch bark primitive oil lamp video is here if interested. ua-cam.com/video/fbtMmDQBmTQ/v-deo.html
Pitch wood is a great asset! Nice demo Lonnie!
+TomsBackwoods Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the video.
I love fat wood! Its my favorite fire starter. The nice thing is that a nice size piece can last a while. Also, you can make your own fat wood. If you find a chunk of dry or fresh sap from pine or spruce, you put in a tin with some wood, and put it over a fire to melt the sap, the wood will soak it up and there ya go. It works but not as good, but if good tinder is hard to find, its a life saver!
+Todd Klekotka Your method of homemade fatwood gives me an idea. I will try out my idea to see if it works. If my idea works then I may do a video on it to show others.
Right on!
I didnt know this tip at all, very well done video, my only question is if fatwood can be found on most pine trees? im located in southern canada so im not sure of the pine species difference between Alaska and Ontario
+joe bob Yes any resinous pine tree is capable of having fatwood but not all trees do have fatwood.
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival thank you very much, I love all your videos and tips, I never stop learning
Thanks for sharing! :)
Beautiful opening scenes. Where was that filmed?
Alaska
Beautiful state, I've been to Anchorage, Denali, Whitter, Port Alsworth, and Lake Clark National Park (Dick Proenneke). Can't wait to visit again.
What part of Alaska are you located? I recently moved to Fairbanks and I love the AK.
+cole kirby Welcome to Alaska. I live in South Central Alaska.
I have a mature blue spruce in my front yard. I trim the lower branches to plant a shade garden under it. The branch stumps run sap for the entire season. Winds too the top 25 feet out of the tree and it took almost a year before I could get a service to come in and prune the stump 40 feet off the ground. there is a chanced that the tree will split and form a new top leader. Maybe. I am willing to give it another 30 years to try.
+Randy J It is interesting what can be done with trees through pruning and such. Hope your tree regrows a beautiful top for you.
Good to know. Here in SW Montana, we have none of the traditional sources of fatwood (no broadleaf pines around here), but now and then I'll find a little on a damaged trunk (usually black bear damage) of a scotts pine. I never even though to inspect a dead spruce. Next time out at spruce altitude, I'll keep an eye out. Thanks!
+betweenfiveandseven I'm still learning about this useful item myself.
Thanks again for making these vids man!
+moderncaveman100 You are welcome. Thank you for watching.
It is very useful in getting a fire going in wet conditions for sure. I like your hatchet.
+Catherine Perrett I agree on the fatwood. I'm really liking the hatchet as well. It is heavier than my old Gerber but that weight comes in handy when in use.
great video on finding some fatwood . I have a big ol chunck of it about as round as my arm amazing stuff .
+Joseph Russell Sounds like you hit the mother lode. We are not so fortunate here as many in lower America. Our trees are too small to economically commercially log. Because there is no logging, there is no stumps from cut green trees. Fatwood here is quite rare as near as I have been able to find out.
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival if you want some I can send you some
+Joseph Russell I really appreciate the offer. However I prefer to find and use the local materials. If I can't find it locally then I won't learn to rely on it. Thank you very much though for the offer.
+Far North Bushcraft And Survival Thats true excellent point on local uses of fire starting methods.
outstanding channel
I’ve been burning a lot of beetle killed spruce and most of the lower section burns like it’s a tire. It doesn’t look red like fat wood but it burns like it’s been soaked in lighter fluid.
one of the most overlooked tools in nature i like using fat wood to start most of my fires
+coydog outdoors It is great stuff for sure.
Great info Lonnie !
Ernie
+minkos61 Thank you Ernie. Glad you liked it.
Hey Far North, I'm curious as to how you identified the tree as "dead standing". It appears to have greenery still growing from it. Can you elaborate on this? Thanks.
+Theball Player Good eye. The "green" is a form of lichen and not spruce needles as it may appear in the video. There are no longer any needles remaining anywhere on the tree and the tree has been dead long enough that the bark was even coming away in small sheets in places as I was trying to expose the bare wood trunk of the tree. This would never happen to any local live trees in winter. The bark would be stuck tenaciously to the underlying wood.
Ah, ok. The lichen does look like the needles. Thanks for the clarification and additional info!
Here in Southeast Texas we have LOTS of pine. Kind of cool that God provides fatwood to help us start fires in this thick humidity!
+Texas Hillbilly It is interesting to see that each region has natural products that are not found so plentiful in other regions.
I was not familiar with fat wood. We had a large white pine 42 inch diameter tree that was heavily damage years ago. It came down in a storm last year. We cut it up except for the last 10 or 12 feet of the stump end. It was still attached to the roots and suspended in air. My brother and I decided to try to burn it one winter but didn't expect that it would burn that well. He put a small bunch of paper under the end and inside of 15 minutes it was burning so well we put the water hose on it to slow it down. In 1 night it completely burned up. The fire even followed the roots back. I have never seen anything like it before. I can only assume it was all this fat wood.
If you happen to be wearing gloves keeping your bic in your off hand glove is an easy way to keep the fuel from freezing. With a mini size bic you'll almost forget it's there.
Thanks for sharing
+Amra Survival You are welcome.