Using fatwood and resinous wood

Resin is a natural, combustible substance with a lot of energy. Trees produce it, among other things, to seal wounds. In some old stumps and root bases the wood is so heavily soaked with it that it feels almost like wax. This resin-rich wood often survives long after the rest of the wood around it has rotted.

Because resin repels water, moisture can hardly get in. When fatwood is heated, the combustible parts of the resin vaporise and burn with a hot, bright, very sooty flame. This flame is strong enough to dry and ignite even somewhat damp kindling.

You do not recognise fatwood by a particular tree species – this atlas does not describe tree identification – but by three features: it smells clearly of resin, it is noticeably heavy for its size, and when freshly split it looks shiny, sticky and often reddish to amber and translucent. Rotten, light, crumbly wood is not fatwood, even if it comes from a stump.

For lighting you need very fine material. Scrape fine shavings and dust with the back or edge of your knife and form a small heap. These catch sparks from a ferro rod or the flame of a match. Thin split sticks then serve as kindling.

Do not add pieces that are too large too early. Fatwood also needs the staircase from fine to coarse. A fist-sized piece of fatwood can last for many fires if you split it sparingly into shavings and sticks.

Collect fatwood only from dead wood and only where collecting is permitted. In protected areas, national parks and many forests, breaking wood out of stumps is not allowed. Living trees are never cut into to obtain resin. Take only as much as you really need.

When splitting and scraping, the usual knife rules apply: always work away from your body, sit securely and brace the piece on a firm base. Resin-rich wood is hard and sometimes tough – the blade can suddenly slip through. Use a hatchet only if you can handle it safely.

Fatwood burns with a lot of soot and can throw sparks. Keep your distance from tents, tarps and gear. Do not cook directly over the sooty flame, because soot blackens pots and tastes unpleasant. Use fatwood for lighting and cook later on the embers of ordinary wood. Check the local rules before every fire.

Fatwood is especially valuable in wet weather, in winter and when lighting with a ferro rod, which gives only sparks and no flame. A small supply in your emergency kit or pack is light, keeps for a very long time and makes you less dependent on the weather.

It does not, however, replace a supply of dry fuel wood. Fatwood only helps with the start. Whether you find any at all depends heavily on the region – in some forests it is common, in others almost never found. So do not plan on discovering it along the way; if in doubt, take some with you.

In the past, fatwood splinters were also used for light: in houses without candles or lamps, burning splinters were set in holders so people could see in the evening. Resin-rich kindling is still sold commercially today.

A small test at home: briefly hold a piece of fatwood and a piece of ordinary dry wood of the same size to a match flame, one after the other. The difference is usually obvious – the fatwood catches faster and burns more strongly. That gives you a feel for what you are looking for.