A Stockpile of Wood, right in your own backyard.

In an urban setting, getting wood can be a challenge at best. You can’t just head to the woods and start cutting a supply. Take a minute and look around your yard or local area. You might find a decent supply just waiting to be cut and stacked for your next fire or cookout.

After our last natural event, we lost a tree or two to heavy winds and saturated wet soil. The stumps are still waiting in the bushes around what used to be a viable shade tree. This makes great firewood and will stretch out your wood supply and will get you by in a pinch.

When trimming trees around your property, cut into manageable sized pieces for use later in your pit or bbq. A side note to wood selection, at our old home we had very large silver oaks. When we cut these down and spent a day cutting and moving them, we broke out in a poison ivy like rash. This is something I would not want to burn, so keep an eye on what species, your burning to avoid a serious smoke related rash.

When it’s time to remove a tree from your property. Keep in mind that this could really supplement you wood pile. This tree gave us years of enjoyment but just hasn’t been able to return to a full shade tree. The timber from this small tree will provide hours of heat or if needed a cooking source for your fire pit or bbq.

Another great source of firewood, can be found street side. After the same natural event, plenty of homeowners had a surplus of discarded wood placed at the street side, all cut to manageable sizes just ready for the picking.

Other bushes and trees can also supply a generous amount of tinder and kindling as well. It’s all around you, just open your eyes and identify the available wood supply right in your own backyard.

Feather Sticks – Increase your chances in fire building

With a little extra effort making a feather stick will increase your chances of successful fire building. Simple to perform on any ingnightable tinder. Position your kindling on a hard surface like another log and start peeling away small feathers on the stick. Rotate the stick as you continue downward strokes creating curls of easily ingnitable wood curls or “feathers”.

Kindling laying on a stump
Various small kindling
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