Conifer Bough Fire Booster to Burn Wet Wood

Showing the power of using split dead conifer boughs with the needles still on as an accelerant to drive moisture out of wet wood. This is similar to a conventional twig bundle in structure, but is larger and is used as a second stage booster to get the fire past the kindling stage.

Even though the fir boughs were soaking wet, the heat from the primary kindling is enough to heat them to the point where the sap in the needles burn with the split twigs fueling the flames. Green boughs will work as well, but will require more shavings or other flammable kindling to ignite.

The kindling, fuel, and bundle material were a mix of Western Hemlock and Western Red Cedar driftwood that held a ton of moisture.

This works well with both firs and spruces. Pine boughs may work too, but I do not have personal experience with them. Note the huge plume of smoke as massive amounts of water are being driven out of the driftwood. The larger pieces were dead will trunks from the riverbed.

The set was a Pacific Silver Fir sapling that was greener than expected. I took advantage of the drying cycles concept shown by David West and Lonnie at Far North Bushcraft and Survival and it made for an easy ember.

David West on Drying cycles….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhXd7rYmLrY

Far North Bushcraft & Survival on Drying Cycles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0oShx2TUnA