How to find dry wood in a monsoon

How do you find dry wood to start a fire?

Especially when it has been raining for a week straight! 

Here on the Island of Taiwan it rains often... it rains more than often.  The location of this island along with the high mountains tends to make for a challenge when looking for dry wood to make a fire.  But even in the most extreme times, dry wood can still be found, and that could possibly be the difference between life and death.  Temperatures do not have to be very low to experience the symptoms of hypothermia. 

Symptoms:

n          Uncontrollable shivering (although, at extremely low body temperatures, shivering may stop)

n          Weakness and loss of coordination

n          Confusion

n          Pale and cold skin

n          Drowsiness – especially in more severe stages

n          Slowed breathing or heart rate

n          If not treated promptly, lethargy, cardiac arrest, shock, and coma can set in.

n          Hypothermia can even be fatal.

So, being able to find, make and start a fire can be quite important. 

TINDER

Find dry fire starting wood and tinder (flammable material that can take a flame easily in starting a fire).  Standing dead dry grasses, dry ferns, dead pine needles, dried moss, inner dead bark of certain types of trees, all can be used as tinder material.  Finding these materials standing vertically lessens moisture, under thick snags of growth limits moisture like an umbrella, Inner bark or phloem of some trees is excellent when dry to start fires.  Bamboo when brown and dead can be scraped for a tinder bundle. 

STARTER WOOD

Thickness of starter wood should range from pencil lead thickness to about as thick as your thumb.  Having a good working pile of each is most desired.  Start by finding wood that is not laying on the ground.  Ground wood continually soaks up water and because wind and other factors that can help in drying it are limited, this is not preferred wood in starting a fire.  (You can use it, but not until your fire is going strong). 

Look for places where the thinnest of dry dead branches still remain on a tree.  In sheltered locations again preferred. Even if those thin, tiny branches are wet, they tend to dry very quickly because of their size and thickness.  If you find those thinnest of branches point upwards instead of downwards, even better.  Pointing downwards means the water from the tree is constantly dripping off them, continuing to soak those tips.  Branches that point to the sky tend to be dryer because the water is dripping off mid branch or running down the trunk.  Collect them and keep them off the ground!  Try to cover with leaves, branches or anything to limit water intake, until you are going to be ready to start a fire.

If you need, larger branches and logs are good sources for dry starter wood as well.  Hopefully you have a knife, machete, hatchet or sharp edge object that you can carve with.  Carving away the outer layers of wet branch usually reveals some dry wood inside.  Again, look for wood off the ground, maybe a dead branch broken off and snagged in another branch.  When you reach the dry layers, carve wood shavings as long as you can.  Again keep them dry!  

Always remember to practice skills important to your survival before actually needing them.  Next time we will cover how to build and light a fire in the wilderness when it is very wet.

If you have any questions or want further information, please go to http://www.7generationsoutdoor.omei.net