Fire and Wood

Fire Science

Fire is the heat and light that comes from burning substances. In 1777, Antoine Lavoisier discovered that burning is the result of the rapid union of oxygen with other substances.

To produce fire, three conditions must exist. There must be
1. Fuel, which is
2. Heated to ignition temperature, and
3. Plenty of oxygen

The burning of a solid fuel often depends on the form of the fuel. For example, you may not be able to light a large log with a match, but a small twig from the same tree may catch fire easily with the same match. This is because heat flows to the inside of the log, and the log cannot maintain a high enough temperature to keep burning. But when several logs are burned together, heat also flows from each log to the others and keeps the fire going. This explains why it is easy to start a fire with splinters or shavings.


Backcountry Firewood

Species of firewood you are likely to find outdoors are generally either hardwoods or softwoods.

Softwoods or confiers, also known as evergreens, have needles for leaves. Normally this type of tree doesn’t shed its needles in the fall, with some exceptions like the tamarack tree. They tend to burn quickly and very hot, but burn down to fewer coals. They often contain flammable resins that help a lot in getting the fire going. This type of wood is good to use for kindling since it’s often easier to ignite than hardwood.

Hardwoods have broad flat leaves which fall off in autumn. Although they’re harder to ignite than softwoods, they burn steadily and longer, giving more even heat for a given volume of wood. They burn down to a good bed of coals that stay hot for a long time. Some examples are maple, birch, beech, and oak.