Take extra care in gathering the fuel. Forage some distance from your campsite to avoid denuding the site. Aside from natural beauty concerns, these materials form a part of the local ecology. The dry leaves and grass at the base of the tree decompose and enrich the soil, which makes for healthy, disease- and insect-resistant trees. When too much of this material is removed, it has an impact on the forest ecosystem.

2torial #0438: Learn2 Build a Campfire (Continued) Gather the fuel for the fire You need three types of materials to build a fire: small stuff (tinder and kindling), medium stuff (half-inch diameter sticks and one-inch diameter sticks), and large stuff (large chunks of wood). Small stuff: Tinder is very lightweight and dry material that will burn quickly and ignite the heavier materials. Examples of tinder are pine needles, grass, leaves, paper, and thin tree bark. In areas where birch bark is available, check around for fallen logs for this excellent tinder fuel. Don't strip any birch bark off an upright tree, even if it looks dead. This can kill a tree by exposing it disease, insects, and dehydration. Kindling: A large supply of tinder and kindling is the foundation of a good fire. Search around the base of shrubs and small trees for dead branches. Don't break any piece of wood off an upright tree, even if it looks dead. It's bad for the tree and the wood won't burn well. Medium stuff: Half-inch and one-inch diameter sticks: These will be used to build fire-establishing structures. Search under larger shrubs and trees for the medium stuff. The same guidelines for gathering kindling apply here: leave the upright trees alone. Break longer branches into six- or eight-inch pieces with this technique: rest one end of the stick at a 45 degree angle to the ground. Grasp the stick about 16 inches from the end on the ground, or simply rest the top end against a large tree. Stand with the ground end of the stick just outside one of your feet. Lift that foot and stomp down on the branch. It should snap with a satisfying sound. If it doesn't, try again, perhaps with your hand a little higher on the stick, or kick a little lower towards the ground. Large stuff: Large chunks of wood: If you're in an established campsite, large chunks of wood will be available for purchase. Aside from the convenience of this option, it also conserves the limited and highly used resources of established campsites. If you're far away from civilization and established campsites, look around for fallen trees. If you have an axe, split the wood into chunks about the size of your arm or a little larger. Avoid any mushy wood--this has rotted and won't burn well. Step 3