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Tim McWelch, Earth Connection -- Besides knowledge of fire making techniques and materials, another determining factor for the success of a fire maker is their knowledge of the seasons and the weather. The times to gather, and the times to practice can have a great effect on ones abilities.
The following is an average of my 22 years as a fire maker in the Mid-Atlantic United States.
SPRING AND SUMMER
Spring and Summer is a time for practice. Spring is my time of year to stretch the muscles that winter has given some rest. However, great care must be taken in the dry, strong winds of March and the dangerous fire conditions they create. The abundance of winter dried leaves and grass can easily be fuel for devastating forest and brush fires fanned by the wind.
This is one of the most interesting times of year to learn about trees and shrubs. You can test your strength at identification of trees and shrubs. Look at the bark, buds and twigs; break the dead branches and carve them to examine the wood; and then find out soon if you were right by examining the fresh, new leaves for easier identification.
The dryness of March will give way to the showers and increasing humidity of April. It may be now or never to collect the last of certain weathered plant stalks for hand drills before, even the ones that need weathering, rot too much. These conditions are often a good challenge, a chance to practice dealing with rain and a time to ease into fire making in greater humidity.
May begins the more humid, warmer and stormy summer months. It is a great time to practice all pursuits in fire making under these unfavorable conditions. I watch the reactions of different materials as different weather patterns change them. When storms pass over, the dead broken limbs and branches can be harvested for bow drill, fire plow and other fire making materials. The dead limbs are ready to use once they dry, unless wet fire making is your goal. The green wood broken from the trees can be collected, dried and seasoned for later use, unless you want to try green wood fire making. But that will be another article.
As the heat of summer begins and the humidity reaches its peak, the months of June, July and August become a tough time to do the hand drill. The slender drills and fire boards never really seem be dry, but good material selection and year round practice can mean frequent success. Still, it is amazing that before flint and steel, almost all of the early historic and prehistoric native peoples of the east used the hand drill alone to make their daily fires for cooking and gathering round - even in the most humid weather.
August is also when the crickets start chirping here, a sign that fall is close. I start thinking about the gathering that will be done this fall by looking for places to collect. I look for patches of Horse weed and Goldenrod that are still growing. Hand drills can start to be gathered soon; and soon also the Goldenrod tops will make a great tinder. It is also time to stake out the Yucca in the area to see where the biggest and straightest are growing.
FALL AND WINTER
Fall and Winter is a time of gathering. In September, the first few days of drier and cooler air move through the region. At this time, I intensify my search for materials. The Goldenrod are blooming and this allows me to spot them from a good distance. I make note of all the good gathering places, as they can change from year to year depending on the weather and many other conditions. Some of those fire kits that have not worked all summer, that were just beyond the reach of ones abilities, start to magically work. The time to gather some hand drills has begun.
In September, Mullein and Yucca can be harvested and set aside to dry. Some are even ready to use now. When gathering Mullein, I am careful not to step on the first year rosettes of fuzzy, green leaves that will grow into next years crop of Mullein stalks. Also, I like to shake the tiny, brown seeds around to propagate the plants further. An easy way to do this is to break off the seed head from the top of the plant and carry it to the place that I want to sow the seed. To keep the Mullein patches large and strong, I will spread the seeds further out than the patch is currently growing. This will keep the plants from being in such competition with each other and enlarge the patches next year.
Some of the patches I regularly harvest from have become huge over the years. Yucca gathering is an occupation that often requires pruning peoples plants. Some people, and rightfully so, are very territorial about their plants, so ask before you walk into their yard and start collecting. A sharp knife can cut the stalks on a diagonal near the base or sharp pruning snips can also be fast ways to gather them, although a serrated or toothed stone blade can saw them off as well. But however you choose to cut them, be careful not to pull the stalk up; or twist and bend the stalk around too much. This can damage the root.
In October and November, material gathering can intensify and become an obsession. Fire materials are ready to harvest everywhere. Tinder can also be found in abundance. Goldenrod tinder can be gathered by the bag full. Some of the needles on some Pine trees die and shed to produce a carpet of new tinder around and underneath these trees. Dead, dry deciduous leaves can be found blowing around every where. Grasses are dead and ready to collect.
December can be a time to gather hand drills that are better upon weathering. Our first snows usually come in December and making Fire in the snow can be an amazing experience. Just make sure that you have a dry bark slab or something similar under your fire kit, and watch out for snow falling off of your clothes, gloves and boots onto your fire kit.
January and February can be the ultimate test of a fire maker's skills. The cold reduces the activity of the oxygen in the air, thus any coals produced are struggling to breath. The cold air also steals precious heat from the friction fire making process. The critical ignition temperatures may not be reached in extreme cold weather. And although the air is usually low in humidity, sometimes things never really seem to dry out well. This would be an excellent time for a real challenge - to find tinder in the snow, or break ice from branches to get fire making materials. But work slowly, if possible, to avoid breaking a sweat and giving hypothermia a foothold on you.
On warmer days, materials can still be gathered for use during the rest of the year. Weathered Cattail stalks can be cut for hand drills. The Cattail down harvested by the bagful for coal extender and tinder additives. Then it all starts back over again. Year after year, the more you practice - the more you learn. Try new things, and share the wealth (of knowledge). Let's hope we never NEED it, but be glad we really KNOW it.
Fire Making Over the Seasons by Tim MacWelch, Copyright © 2000 in Earth Connection Handout Series 1, Used here with permission
ALL TEXT, PHOTOS, AND GRAPHICS ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT. NO PART OF THIS ARTICLE MAY BE COPIED OR REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF EARTH CONNECTION, LLC.
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