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Use Birch Bark For Wet Weather Tinder

Ken — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 14:28:21 +0000

During the early afternoon today the weather conditions produced both thunder and pouring rain. Later in the early evening the sky had cleared up quite a bit but the grounds and trees were still wet. I was interested in seeing how effective birch bark would fare as tinder to get a camp fire going.

Because of the oily nature of birch bark I have demonstrated In the past it’s ability to be doused in water, wiped off, then easily lit with a flame, but now I wanted to put it to the test in building a camp fire.

I approached a near-by river birch tree and carefully removed a few pieces of it’s flaking bits of bark. Then I began to search for small thin dead branches among trees above the ground hoping to find dryer material but everything was still wet. On some of the larger dead branches the outer wet bark was easily removed which exposed a dryer core.

I found a rock upon which I began to build a lean-to fire-lay starting with a portion of the birch bark, then the smallest branches were placed over it with consecutively larger ones above those. The remaining birch bark piece I lit with a lighter then placed that on top of the initial birch bark base.

The birch bark tinder produced a sustained flame that was able to ignite the damp branches above it. I added more branches as the fire began to grow. In the end I achieved a very usable campfire that could be sustained for the evening.

This knowledge of birch bark as tinder could be crucial in wet circumstances and especially in an emergency scenario.

Birch And Beech Tree Fungus Are Not The Same

Ken — Sat, 21 Feb 2015 15:21:52 +0000

Inonotus obliquus (courtesy tgcva.org)

Through the years I have followed trends in bushcraft and primitive living skills interest groups. Over a decade ago fire pistons were new on the scene and a tinder fungus, Inonotus obliquus (I.O.) a.k.a. “chaga”, was often used for creating an ember. This was an amazing material that I wanted to know more about. At the time I lived in California, but this material came from the Northern States and so I was unfamiliar with it. In my research it was noted that I.O. grew on birch trees and some beech trees. It has been described as the blackest growth seen in the woods. When I moved to North Carolina, I researched to see if I.O. could be found, and it apparently exists in the Western mountainous region. As I live in the foothills, this gave me hope of finding some one day.

Recently I was hiking along a river and spotted black clumps in a beech tree. I was very excited by this find and collected some samples. When I returned home I cut a slice and tried to catch a spark. I used a ferro rod for maximum heat and duration of sparks but the material wouldn’t catch the spark. I let it dry out for a few days but had the same results. After photographing the material I posted it on a Facebook group page where it was identified as Scorias Spongiosa (S.S.) a.k.a. “honey dew fungus”. It is a fungus that grows on aphid droppings and is restricted to one species of tree, American beech.

Scorias Spongiosa

By the comments of others I learned that I.O. grows on the TRUNK of birch trees and S.S. grows on the BRANCHES and LEAVES on the beech trees. I can see now how early reports of I.O. on beech trees was mistaken and wanted to share this experience with other readers so that they will be informed of the difference and avoid false hopes of finding I.O. on beech trees.

Birch Bark Tinder

Ken — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:35:46 +0000

Different tinders have their benefits. Most need to be completely dry to work. One great exception is birch bark. This is not the kind of tinder that catches a spark easily, like fluffy cattail duff or a dandelion seed ball, but more like kindling, it really burns well once lit by a flame. It is best used in conjunction with fluffy tinder when using spark-based fire lighting techniques. However, when you do have a flame source for starting a fire, birch bark works great. The oils within the bark sustain flames even when damp.

In my area, river birch is the indigenous variety that yields much tinder. When collecting birch bark, take the papery parts that have already separated from the trunk of the tree. This is dead material, and you don’t want to strip live material that is fastened to the trunk. You may notice that the paper-like bark has different layers. The outer-most layer is similar to flaky sun-burnt skin… so thin that you can almost read through it. Deeper layers tend to be thicker, and more difficult to separate.

For fun, you can dip a piece of bark into some water, then wipe it off with your hands or on your clothes. You can probably split off a layer or more from there. Hold the pieces vertically and place a lit match beneath the bottom edge. You’ll be surprised at the flames that develop. It will probably smoke a little too as the oils begin to burn. This ability to stay lit in a moist environment could be a life saver when in the snow country or in rainy conditions.

Give birch bark a try, and add it to your firecraft experience.