which wood do I use?

[Bushcraftsman]

hi me and some mates are planning on going camping this weekend and i know after 1 hour i will be the only one collecting wood (how annoying is that?) and i would like to know which british tree is the best for a fire that gives off a lot of heat and burns for a long time.??

thanks in advance

right everybody just to let you know im on my bro's computer and i got him to type this originaly he is 11 and obv cant spell EDIT. it's meant to say which wood do i use.

Watch your language please - TT

 

[spamel]

Oak, beech, ash or chestnut seem to be the best.

 

[Bushcraftsman]

ok cheers again mate (Y)

 

[Wayland]

Often it's not a question of choice but availability.

Standing dead wood is the best stuff to look for.

Fallen branches caught in bushes or trees are good too.

Dead wood on the floor is often damp, especially at this time of year, and therefore smoky.

Live trees should never be cut for firewood, not just because of the damage caused but also because live wood burns badly.

 

[Mang]

I like Hawthorn too. Isn't seasoned wood something like 50% more efficient than fresh wood?

 

[Ogri the trog]

Shamelessly stolen from British Red's Firecraft tutorial....

Beechwood fires burn bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year
Store your beech for Christmastide
With new holly laid beside
Chestnuts only good they say
If for years tis stayed away
Birch and firwood burn too fast
Blaze too bright and do not last
Flames from larch will shoot up high
Dangerously the sparks will fly
But Ashwood green and Ashwood brown
Are fit for a Queen with a golden crown


Oaken logs, if dry and old
Keep away the winters cold
Poplar gives a bitter smoke
Fills your eyes and makes you choke
Elmwood burns like churchyard mould
Even the very flames burn cold
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread
So it is in Ireland said
Applewood will scent the room
Pears wood smells like a flower in bloom
But Ashwood wet and Ashwood dry
A King may warm his slippers by.

When you're just out for a weekend, it'll boil down to whatever you can find that is dry, and if your mates refuse to help find firewood, then they should be the first to get cold wet and miserable.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[brancho]

As has been said what you can get is whats best.

But pine is good for starting a fire or boiling as it burns quickly but not that good for a sustained fire

Oak will burn longer but is harder to start a fire with.

A compromise is often best playing around with different woods helps so you know how they work in any given situation. Can you tell the difference between different types of wood when you see it as it can be difficult.

 

[Bushcraftsman]

ok thanks everbody this really helped.

and ogi you provide a very persuading argument haha

and yes brancho i can tell the different types its one of the things i specialise in

anyway thanks again everybody great help.

BTW
im a new member of BCUK and love the site only joined yesterday and im loving it

now excuse me whilst i browse some more

 

[abushcrafter]

birch twigs are very good to get a fire going with,when there is no pine.

 

[Celt_Ginger]

Gather really fine twigs that get caught in the branches of trees to start your fire with. Ash is a great burning wood and will burn well even when green. Try to avoid wood that is on the ground or has begun to go soft as it will smoke the place out and the smoke will always seem to follow you about.

 

[spamel]

I find the fine dead twigs at the bottom of a pine works best for starting a fire. They are still attatched to the tree so off the ground and they just snap off. Get it going with that and birch bark, then add your main fuel.

 

[Bushcraftsman]

has anyone here tried a ground oven using hotrocks??

if so any tips like type of rock...how long to heat them for etc etc etc

thanks in advance.

 

[Ogri the trog]

has anyone here tried a ground oven using hotrocks??

if so any tips like type of rock...how long to heat them for etc etc etc

thanks in advance.

There's been a Hangi oven at most of the Bushmoots I've attended but for your purposes, it would also help to know how much, and what type of food you intend to cook. At the Moots, its normally food for 150 - 200 people, the fire is lit at 6am and the food goes into the pit around midday and is sometimes ready for an evening! i
Have seen single joints of lamb cooked in a hangi in about 4 hours. So it is very much a trial and error method and you have to rely on your nose to tell you when things are approaching the "burnt" stage.

ATB

Ogri the trog