Whether starting a campfire or a cooking fire, it is important to understand the type of firewood you’re using as it can have a variety of effects on the food you cook or even make a campfire uncomfortable and cover everyone around the fire in smoke. Depending on the type of firewood you’re using, the fire will either last you the entire night or you will be feeding it wood the entire time. Before getting into the gritty details about different types of wood and their benefits it is also important to think about how you start your fires.
If you want to start a fire for cooking or for the mere joy of watching a fire then there are a couple of things to know before you actually start. If there is a designated area for fires, use it as safety is very important. If there isn’t a designated area then you’ll need to make your own fire bed which is super easy. You’ll need to find an area that is only bare earth (no grass), the area should be away from any trees or bushes. Be especially careful that the area isn’t near any dead vegetation as dead vegetation ignites easily. Once you’ve found a suitable area then you must dig a little hole, which doesn’t have to be very deep, and then use the sand you’ve dug out to set a barricade around the rim or you can use stones to insulate the fire.
Once you’ve cleared your area then you are one step closer to building your fire. Ensure that you have tinder, such as dry leaves or grass, kindling which is small dry twigs and sticks, and then lastly firewood which will be what keeps your fire burning for a while. Once you have all three you can then start building your fire using one of any of these 3 popular techniques which are Teepee, Lean-To, and Log Cabin. When building your fire the type of firewood is important to consider as each type of firewood offers its own benefits.
Both apple and birch firewood are hardwoods which means that they are tougher and therefore burn longer than softwoods however it takes longer for hardwood to mature than softer woods so while you will get a fire that burns for longer you will probably be paying quite a lot more for it but it will be worth it. Apple wood burns for longer and produces very little smoke while birch burns just as long and can be split easily.
Larch and fir wood are both softwoods and are produced in larger quantities and so can be bought at a cheaper price than hardwood and burn just as nicely as hardwood. Douglas fir, the most commonly used fir firewood, serves as the perfect kindling wood and offers a pleasant aroma when burning. Larch burns longer than other softwoods and is easy to light. No matter the type of wood you are after Black Dragon has the perfect firewood for you.