Most historians believe fatwood has been used for several thousand years. Once you know more about this specific type of wood, you will realize how valuable and useful it can be to you on your next camping outing. Keep reading to find out what you are missing.
Uses for Fatwood
The uses for fatwood, also called “rich lighter” or “rich lighter pine”, are varied. From chemical treatments to processing solvents and painting materials. Long ago in America, it was found that a certain group of Native Americans used this wood for campsite torches or lighting. The Virginian Native American Indians would use gourdes, line them with clay and place burning fatwood in them and stake them out around their campsites to light the areas during nighttime hours. For most people fatwood is directly related to fire and its necessity. Fatwood is an effective, stable fire-starting material used widely around the world to start fires. One useful benefit of fatwood is the ability to burn even when wet. We will discuss some of the benefits later.
How It’s Formed
Fatwood comes from a few different trees but is mostly found from the pine variety, but notably southern yellow pine varieties. Typically, the formation and starts with a dead standing pine tree. Once the tree has been standing for a while, the turpentines (terpenes) and resins concentrate downward into the base of the truck. When the tree finally falls or is finally cut down, the concentrations in the heartwood of the remaining trunk, produce a potent and flammable material known as fatwood, lighter pine, rich lighter, and a few other local variations of its name. Many sources assert that fatwood can be formed in 10 years. With this claim, various conditions would need to be ideal for this formation within this relatively short time frame. Moisture, humidity, soil composition, root health, and weather to name a few. A recent study has shown an average standing dead time for pine trees could be 81 years. While this info could be accurate, like most things, conditions play a large part in this average. The longer a pine tree stands dead, the higher chances of strong terpene and resin concentrations will occur in the remaining stump heartwood.
Where it’s Found
This fatwood is most commonly found in the southern US, due to the availability and native areas of the southern yellow pine. As far east as East Texas and all the way to the East Coast, down into Florida fatwood can be found commonly in forests. There are other areas further north, but, again it isn’t quite as common or widespread. Fatwood can be found commercially from many sources, but I prefer the more regional natural way of finding fatwood, searching throughout the woods and forests. Normally found in forests, fatwood is normally in form of a stump that appears to be rotten. There have been several times where I haven’t expected the stump to hold any solid, viable wood and I was wrong. The appearance of the remnant of sapwood that has rotted away will give the impression that the stump is completely rotted and useless, and sometimes this is the case. If you are in search of fatwood, always check the rotten-looking stumps. Another point for more common fatwood stumps is to search areas of forests that you know haven’t been clear cut for several decades. Younger trees of course will have had less time to transform into viable fatwood. Small patches of forests in more developed areas are less likely to have experienced conditions that are conducive to forming fatwood.
Southern Region
The main region for finding fatwood, as stated earlier, is the Southern Region. The pine stands are much more plentiful and concentrated in this region. The soil composition and climate are more conducive to a great and strong growing season in the south. Hardwoods aren’t as plentiful to drown out the pine growth and propagation. These are the main reasons why fatwood is more plentiful in the Southern Region. The US Forest Service classifies this region as shown below in the picture. The Pacific Northwest also has great and expansive stands of pines, but the largest concentration remains in the Southern Region.
Why It’s Beneficial
Fatwood can be beneficial to campers for several reasons, those benefits revolve around its fire-starting capabilities. The wood is also very rot resistant due to the impregnated resin deep in the wood fibers. Rich fatwood is moisture and bug-resistant in most cases. This moisture resistance aids in the ability to help start fires. IT can be stored for long periods of time in a barn, a garage, or even outside with very little effect on its integrity or efficacy. One noted reason it’s popular is the ability to start fires when wet. On a rainy day, I have used it many times successfully starting campfires. Another benefit is the need for only small amounts. I had a great grandfather who intentionally used as little as he possibly could to start fires. He would splinter off tiny splinters, smaller and thinner than match sticks, to start fires and it worked very well. In his defense the smaller the pieces the easy it will be to get started. Because you need small amounts there is not a need to carry large amounts to start your fires. You can pack out just a few sticks and be able to cover most fires without an issue.
How to Use Fatwood
Earlier we talked about a great grandfather who would cut very tiny slivers and splinters of fatwood to use to start a fire. He would be super conservative with the fatwood that a few small sticks would last him a very long time. While I’m not quite as conservative with it as he, only a small about is needed to start a fire. Fatwood will splinter off from the stumps and sticks very easily when using a small hatchet. On a camping trip, I will normally carry only about 7 to 8 sticks about 4-6inches in length, about the diameter of my thumb. This small amount is well over the amount needed to start a few fires. I split off a few splinters and use that for starting each fire. I try to make the splinters fairly thin, because the thinner they are, the faster they catch fire when introduced to a flame. Fatwood is fairly conducive to splinting off thin straight at least with most pieces of Fatwood. A single match in most cases is all that is needed. I will stack them in a loosely packed pile when lighting the fatwood.