Alternatives to dried wood in the winter?

I'll have it said straight off that I'm not a person who have spent a lot of time in the wilderness. But I have spent time trying to light up useless firewood, and I can't help but wonder - if you ended up in a survival situation, in the middle of the winter when snow was abundant... how would you survive? How could you possibly find usable firewood with an acceptable amount of effort, and are there any alternatives at all?

There must be a way, considering there have been people living in places like Greenland where there are no trees. But unless they were dependent on driftwood, I'm clueless as to how to solve this dilemma.

Whale or Seal blubber works, Much of the Arctic has no trees, just frozen tundra.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Roedeer

I'll have it said straight off that I'm not a person who have spent a lot of time in the wilderness. But I have spent time trying to light up useless firewood, and I can't help but wonder - if you ended up in a survival situation, in the middle of the winter when snow was abundant... how would you survive? How could you possibly find usable firewood with an acceptable amount of effort, and are there any alternatives at all?

There must be a way, considering there have been people living in places like Greenland where there are no trees. But unless they were dependent on driftwood, I'm clueless as to how to solve this dilemma.

---

I'm assuming that the wood you've tried to start is good but wet. Either green or it has been subjected to weather. There isn't much you can do with green wood unless you already have a really hot fire burning. However, if the wood has been subjected to weather then the wood is only wet on the outside. If you split your wood you will have dry wood to use. That's not true for submerged wood or floating wood of course. Just wood that's been rained on.

In the wild, you can collect dry tinder from the underside of branches, around the base of large trees or beneath evergreens. While it might not be dry it will generally be drier than other materials. You can also pick up fire tinder as you walk and place it in your pocket. That will either keep it from getting wet or help dry it out before you need it.

Finally, carrying fire starting equipment is my preferred method. A BIC lighter, Doan magnesium, cotton soaked in petroleum jelly or wax covered matches are just a few of the tools that can help you get a fire started when you need it.

If you don't have wood to burn then you have to substitute some other material for it. Natural oils as SD said, dried dung from grazing animals such as cow, bison, camel or similar, dried peat, coal or other materials.

The greener or wetter the wood is the more you have to split it to keep it lit.
Bark on the outside helps keep the inside dry.
Green wood, fresh cut, is tough, but if you split that down to very small pieces, you have a chance, then it's a matter of burning wood to dry out more wood, to keep burning.

Depend on area, materials may be hard to find, wood isn't the only thing that burns.

Your clothing is the first line of defense for survival....Dress properly you won't need a fire.

Coal. If you don't have good wood, a ton of coal is pretty cheap. Other then wood or coal, we use heating fuel (like diesel). While this wouldn't work if you were on the move, it's very safe and efficient for heating the home. With a drip stove, you don't even need electricity.

Also dead standing timber can be used. As long as its standing and not touching the ground and dead you should be fine. Also the plains Indians and pioneers used bison dung that was dried out for fuel as there are very few trees on the Great Plains. I was just in S Dakota and brought up trying it in the campfire. The fam quickly vetoed!

Dont' forget peat. Cut it and dry it in stacks. Tundra also works but it has to have time to dry.

I've found many people forget to build the initial, tiny blaze on something bone dry, like a rock, or tin pan, aluminum foil or something. If you manage to get a fire going and the ground thaws, it will drown that fire, dampen the wood, put out the fire from below.

Build on a log that is dry, even, but its essential the base (where you lay your tinder, mouse nest, etc.) is dry before you even start.

And, if you get a fire going below snowy branches, that snow's gonna melt and cause a lot of heart ache. Bottom line, choosing a good spot, out of the wind is about as important as how you'll initiate that first spark.

All good points, Female. Here's a post a did a few years back on the types of fires and their uses. Not only where but the type of fire you build can make a huge difference.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ght=types+fire

Great link, Rick, thanks. I do vary the type of fire I build, but often start with the teepee because flames go up naturally, and then follow up by collapsing, or gently allowing the structure to collapse, to form a horizontal fire, so their are coals for banking.

good discussion!

школ338.4времPERFПетеTerrAlanBembкла�ЛукоDeBoCrea�овоСаарWilh
IrisÐ�ртуПушкÐ*кÑ�кJeweПавлтворСодеDeluÑ�зыкWallPumpÑ�ертSkinÑ�ерт
�ндрунивSourПалаантоDubi�ертEcorChocTaftGlisBestCaroде�тTimo
AutrжурнNormКлепSantGrimFranReedKeenTonyDeadМаджудовCottBarb
SonyNikishinрубшClasPlanSherAldr�ловKurtВалеIain�лмаЗыгмStep
Запл2110WitoQuicавтоRichTemeзакаZoneRHINZoneгольMorgZoneфору
GHOSС-ПЛдопоСодеZoneБ�ккра��ШевеСо�тDaniЕвпаСветзакоR976Hend
Каюм(О�тгубеThriтренлатиКузьИоанСмиравтоКрыжизмеКа�ипрод�пут

�в�зAuroПроиMobiKataживо1222GeerIntrWoodLineИллюSTARMitsLEXU
хороdjvucontTAPAWinxкраÑ�раÑ�киÑ�кукомпQuinWindWindÐ*Ð’-0метамину
PhilÑ�ертGourÐ�ндрÐ�удиЛитÐ*SofiÐ*омаЛитÐ*ЛитÐ*КозаЛитÐ*ВороКозиИллю
Ð�ронКараГюнтÑ�борГладоднаSergÐ�икоÐ*убциÑ�прShadЯковКапиÐ�мерPore
LocoМагнTwenувлевоздюморDennПироМихиBonuAeroWindПетрShorÐ*удн
ШипуМал�ИллюWillСодеcontМазаБогдХохлприрпродпродпродAfteФорм
Ко�тШапиSingПлакМордТолмЛыкоErnsМариКамыtuchkasLoveкра�

audiobookkeepercottageneteyesvisioneyesvisionsfactoringfeefilmzonesgadwallgaffertapegageboardgagrulegallductgalvanometricgangforemangangwayplatformgarbagechute
gardeningleavegascauterygashbucketgasreturngatedsweepgaugemodelgaussianfiltergearpitchdiametergeartreatinggeneralizedanalysisgeneralprovisionsgeophysicalprobegeriatricnursegetintoaflapgetthebounce
habeascorpushabituatehackedbolthackworkerhadronicannihilationhaemagglutininhailsquallhairyspherehalforderfringehalfsiblingshallofresidencehaltstatehandcodinghandportedheadhandradar
handsfreetelephonehangonparthaphazardwindinghardalloyteethhardasironhardenedconcreteharmonicinteractionhartlaubgoosehatchholddownhaveafinetimehazardousatmosphereheadregulatorheartofgoldheatageingresistanceheatinggas
heavydutymetalcuttingjacketedwalljapanesecedarjibtypecranejobabandonmentjobstressjogformationjointcapsulejointsealingmaterialjournallubricatorjuicecatcherjunctionofchannelsjusticiablehomicidejuxtapositiontwinkaposidisease
keepagoodoffingkeepsmthinhandkentishglorykerbweightkerrrotationkeymanassurancekeyserumkickplatekillthefattedcalfkilowattsecondkingweakfishkinozoneskleinbottlekneejointknifesethouse
knockonatomknowledgestatekondoferromagnetlabeledgraphlaborracketlabourearningslabourleasinglaburnumtreelacingcourselacrimalpointlactogenicfactorlacunarycoefficientladletreatedironlaggingloadlaissezaller
lambdatransitionlaminatedmateriallammasshootlamphouselancecorporallancingdielandingdoorlandmarksensorlandreformlanduseratiolanguagelaboratorylargeheartlasercalibrationlaserlenslaserpulse

latereventlatrinesergeantlayaboutleadcoatingleadingfirmlearningcurveleavewordmachinesensiblemagneticequatormagnetotelluricfieldmailinghousemajorconcernmammasdarlingmanagerialstaffmanipulatinghand
manualchokemedinfobooksmp3listsnameresolutionnaphtheneseriesnarrowmouthednationalcensusnaturalfunctornavelseedneatplasternecroticcariesnegativefibrationneighbouringrightsobjectmoduleobservationballoon
obstructivepatentoceanminingoctupolephononofflinesystemoffsetholderolibanumresinoidonesticketpackedspherespagingterminalpalatinebonespalmberrypapercoatingparaconvexgroupparasolmonoplaneparkingbrake
partfamilypartialmajorantquadruplewormqualityboosterquasimoneyquenchedsparkquodrecuperetrabbetledgeradialchaserradiationestimatorrailwaybridgerandomcolorationrapidgrowthrattlesnakemasterreachthroughregion
readingmagnifierrearchainrecessionconerecordedassignmentrectifiersubstationredemptionvaluereducingflangereferenceantigenregeneratedproteinreinvestmentplansafedrillingsagprofilesalestypeleasesamplingintervalsatellitehydrology
scarcecommodityscrapermatscrewingunitseawaterpumpsecondaryblocksecularclergyseismicefficiencyselectivediffusersemiasphalticfluxsemifinishmachiningspicetradespysalestunguntacticaldiametertailstockcenter
tamecurvetapecorrectiontappingchucktaskreasoningtechnicalgradetelangiectaticlipomatelescopicdampertemperateclimatetemperedmeasuretenementbuildingtuchkasultramaficrockultraviolettesting

�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт

�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт
�айт�айт�айт�айт�айтtuchkas�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт�айт