Greater Niagara Frontier Council, Inc. - Camping Department - Boy Scouts of America

WOOD - "A Woodsman is known by his fire'". Cook over coals on a small fire.

A RHYME OF FIREWOODS

Oak and ash and birch and beech,
Larch and spruce and pine,
All will make a fire good
All will brightly shine.
Ash and Oak are hard and slow,
Birch and Beech are gay,
Larch, Spruce, Pine will start your flame
In the Woodsman's way.

Elder, Elm and Poplar bough,
Smoky fuel seem,
Willow wood is never used
By a camper keen.
Oak or Ash or Birch or Beech,
Larch or Spruce or Pine,
Take your pick, but Ash is best,
Green or dry, 'tis fine.

Kindling: Cedar, balsam, pine, spruce, poplar, aspen, hemlock, chestnut red gum, alder, basswood . nests, cones.

Quick fire: Chestnut, poplar, basswood, pine, soft maple, aspen, sycamore, large tooth aspen (northern poplar), red cedar.
Coals: Hickory , oak, yellow birch, beech, hard maple, apple, locust, ironwood, black walnut, yellow pine, pecan, black birch, mulberry, ash, eucalyptus, elm, cherry.
Slow, when green: butternut, chestnut, red oak, red maple, persimmon.
Good when green: Yellow birch, white ash, split pine.
Hard to split when green: Blue ash, buckeye, cherry, white elm, hemlock, sweet gum, honey locust, sugar maple, sycamore.

Broiler, splits:

  • Good: - green maple, beech, ironwood, elm, sweet gum, birch and sassafras are good and flavor the food cooked on them.
  • Bad: - Cherry, slightly poisonous. Ash, burns green or dry.
Sand or wood ashes (bicarbonate of potassium) make good cleanser.