What Is Fat Wood Used For (It Might Save Your Life!)

In survival situations like during camping trips, starting a fire comes top on the priority list as it will play many roles in your activities.

Thus, if you love being outdoors, starting fires for your camp is something you should be used to doing.

There is no better and more natural way you can do it than using the natural fire starter material, fatwood.

Even if you have other ways to start fires, knowing about getting and using fatwood can be advantageous as an emergency fire starter for your camp.

If you are new to fatwood, the fatwood for beginners information and facts below will help you understand its uses.

Definition of Fatwood

Questions like “what is fatwood used for?” and where to get it are common among people who are new to camping.

Fatwood or even heart pine refers to the resinous remains in the heartwood of a pine tree that has dried up.

This pine resin gives fatwood its flammable properties since it contains terpene, a highly volatile hydrocarbon.

Because of this, it is the best natural material to use as kindling in starting a fire and lighting other large pieces of tinder.

In addition to being highly flammable, fatwood is naturally water-resistant because the resin produced is oily. These properties are the ones that give fatwood its benefits.

Starting a fire using fatwood is not that difficult. All you need is to shave some fatwood and start a fire with a spark. Below are some of the benefits of fatwood.

How You Can Use Fatwood To Start A Fire

Fatwood is the perfect fire starter and here’s why…

You can use it in any condition

Fatwood is the ideal fire-starting material for any outdoor or indoor conditions. Whether it’s very cold, wet, or snowy, fatwood shavings will create a fire when sparked well.

Even if the fatwood has been rained on or soaked in water, it will make a fire because the resin covering it is water repellent, thus ensuring no moisture gets into it.

Fatwood is the ideal fuel for camping and other outside adventures if you wish to start a fire or get wet wood burning without struggling.

It is easy to light and start fires with

Fatwood resin contains a very flammable hydrocarbon known as terpene that lights and burns readily when sparked, whether it is wet or dry.

Because of its high combustibility, fatwood is considered the most efficient natural way to start a fire, and it does not require much attention like the other ways of starting fires.

The fire from fatwood burns hot enough to light other larger wood pieces for camping and other uses.

Fatwood is natural

Fatwood occurs naturally in the environment and can be found in pine trees that have been cut down or dried.

The flammable resin naturally accumulates and infuses itself in the heartwood.

This makes it safe for the environment as it does not contain any dangerous chemicals, toxins, or propellants found in other fire starters manufactured in industries.

Where to Find Fatwood

If you don’t want to go into the forests to look for fatwood, then you can buy some online, and they come already shaped for use.

But if you are the adventurous type, you can find some in forests and wooded areas where pine trees are located or even in logging areas where pine trees have been cut down.

Look around for stumps that are old and rotting; those are the ones that have had enough time for the resin to accumulate in the stump.