Collecting Kindling: What's Okay, What's Not
| Category: | Outdoor Skills |
|---|---|
| Notes: | Provides rules and best practices for gathering kindling while camping, plus fun alternative ideas and Leave No Trace reminders. |
A roaring campfire starts with a spark—and that spark needs kindling. But before you scatter into the woods like foraging squirrels, it's worth asking: What kindling can Scouts collect, and what should be left alone? Here's how to follow the rules, build a better fire, and show respect for the forest.
What's Okay to Collect
- Dead and Down: Only gather wood that is already dead and has fallen naturally. No snapping twigs off living trees—even if "they look dry."
- Wrist-Size Rule: Stick to wood no thicker than your wrist. Anything bigger is firewood, not kindling, and might be regulated.
- Ground First: If you can find it on the ground without tools, it's usually fair game (as long as local rules allow it).
What's Not Okay
- No Live Cutting: Don't cut or damage live trees, saplings, or bushes—no matter how dry the wood looks.
- No Bark Stripping: Bark helps trees live, and stripping it damages even dead wood's role in the ecosystem.
- No Rare Finds: Don't gather from interpretive areas, protected species, or anything marked as sensitive habitat.
Creative Kindling Ideas
- Dry Pine Needles: A pinch of these under your tinder can help a fire take off—but only use dry needles found on the ground.
- Fatwood: Resin-rich pine stumps (if allowed) make excellent, long-burning starters. They smell amazing, too.
- Natural Tinder: Birch bark from fallen logs, dry moss, fluffy grass heads, or cattail fluff are all traditional Scout picks.
- DIY Starters: Cotton balls in petroleum jelly, dryer lint in a cardboard egg carton, or wax-dipped pine cones make great bring-alongs.
Bonus Tip: Collect kindling before you strike a match—not after. Fires wait for no Scout, and scrambling with a half-lit match is how legends (and safety lessons) are born.
Scouts don't just gather kindling—we gather it responsibly. Knowing what's okay to collect shows respect for nature and keeps forests healthy for the next crew who comes to build a fire and tell a story.