Pitchwood
From WildernessWiki.org
Pitchwood, also known as Fatwood, Maya Wood, or Ligher Pine is nature's perfect tinder. It is, overall, the best tinder I'm aware of, natural or man-made. Pine pitch is rich in terpenes, the highly flammable organic compounds which make turpentine. Flaming pitch was used in pre-modern warfare in the way napalm has been used in modern warfare, because it burns in a similar way. Pitch has also traditionally been used to waterproof boat hulls. Similarly, good pitchwood burns like napalm and is completely waterproof (in unshaven form). It doesn't degrade over time, doesn't leak, doesn't evaporate, and is practically immune to catastrophic failure. It's durable. It can be prepared in seconds. It has a low combustion point, and can be lit reliably, with reasonable ease, even from a spark. It has a good heat output per volume. A piece the width of a pencil, and half a pencil's length, makes a compact package capable of starting a couple hundred or more fires. It is easily found in most forests with conifers, which range across the world, making it readily available and free.
Identifying and Harvesting
When a tree dies violently (such as having its top snapped off by an avalanche, or cracked off by a bolt of lightning, or sawed off for lumber) the roots continue to send pitch up into the stump for a while, before the remainder of the tree completely dies. Some of the wood in the stump ends up heavily saturated with pitch (up to 80% by weight, as opposed to a normal range of less than 20%). This pitchwood can also sometimes be found in the injured areas of live trees, such as where limbs have broken off of a tree trunk. It can be split or pried from the rest of the wood with a sturdy knife or axe. Often, you can even find it by digging through an old stump's soft, crumbly, rotten wood with your bare hands, until you hit solid, better preserved wood.
Click on any image for full-sized version. Photos contributed by BF member Pitdog
 Freshly harvested Pitchwood about to be cleaned |
 A knife being used to baton Pitchwood into smaller sections |
 Pitchwood being cleaned for storage and use |
 Cut and cleaned Pitchwood |
Once you find some pitchwood, it can be recognized in several ways: It has a deeper, darker (usually more reddish) color than the surrounding wood; it has a strong, fragrant, piney scent; it is more translucent than the regular wood which surrounds it, and sometimes it is somewhat shiny; it is often somewhat sticky or tacky; it is denser and heavier than regular pine wood; and it is usually a little more brittle.
If you can't find any in your neck of the woods, you can also buy large bundles of it inexpensively at stores that carry sundries for fireplaces, woodstoves, and barbeques.
Usage
Pitchwood is most commonly used in two ways: as tinder and as kindling. Arguably it's most important asset is its suitability as a tinder. A sharp edge or corner (a blade, the back of a knife, a firesteel striker, a broken rock, etc.) can be used to scrape fine curls of pitchwood from a larger block. These shavings are highly combustible and can be ignited even by a spark such as that produced by a firesteel or flint. Once lit, these shavings will burn steadily providing ample time for kindling or additional tinder to ignite.
Pitchwood is also an excellent kindling material. Large shavings and pencil thick pieces will easily get a fire roaring. Even large pieces of pitchwood will ignite within seconds of exposure to a small open flame. Ignited, pitchwood will burn steadily and for a long time compared to other common tinders and kindling, even despite unfavorable weather.
Carrying
Because pitchwood is a highly valued tinder, yet not always within arm's reach in the wild, many people carry it with them - often attached to a firesteel or as a part of a fire kit. Though fatwood may initially feel tacky, it will not leak or ooze pitch except in extreme temperature, and therefore can be safely carried with other materials. Pitchwood will quickly develop a thin coating similar to varnish that serves to protect other objects from any surface pitch which may otherwise rub off.
Introduction and information on Identifying and Harvesting written by nature and wildlife photographer Mike Spinak, who has published excellent wilderness survival and preparedness information on his website.
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