How to find Fatwood (The easiest way)

In this video, I show you the easiest way to find fatwood. If you find this video helpful, share it with a friend. Subscribe for more content and check out my other videos! Thank you!
Fatwood, also known as pitchwood or greasewood is great for starting fires. It is wood from a coniferous tree that is impregnated with resin. The resin has flammable properties and makes the wood easy to light on fire. It also makes the wood burn hot. Fatwood is naturally water resistant. I like to carry fatwood in my kit in case I have a hard time getting a fire started.

[@zachsetzer2596]

my girlfriend broke up with me yesterday. she said she needed "fatwood" didn't know what she meant but this video helped a lot, thanks!!

[@BushmanAOD]

HAHAHAHHHHAAAAAA Thanks man, I needed that just before heading out to work! :)

[@davidcarroll7143]

lol smart ass

[@clydetheglide4198]

Zach Setzer I swear I didn’t know she was your girlfriend

[@30-06]

Zach Setzer Omg 😂

[@jessebrown4755]

🤣

[@bethechange4934]

When I was a kid, I was recruited one summer to help my cousin harvest fatwood, or what we called heart, from long since fallen fir trees. We would drill them in a very particular fashion with hand augers, then place 1/8 or 1/10 sticks of tnt all around in the holes where we knew the fatwood would be then blow them all at once. A big tree with say a 4' diameter might take a half stick or a bit more. When the blast was done, if we did everything well, what was left was just the heart with minimal pulp still sticking to it which we cleaned up with hatchets and chisels. The blast didn't really hurt the heart, it just blew the soft pulp off. That stuff is super dense and very heavy. What we would get was much more dense and waxy than what this video shows and it was almost pumpkin orange and sometimes had thin black streaks in it. It carved almost like soap and didn't really have a grain to it . It had a lovely, sweet smell something like turpentine but sweeter. Some of the pieces were 6 or 7 feet long with a 6 or 8" diameter base and tapering down to nothing as it ran up the tree. These were exceedingly old logs that had fallen hundreds of years prior and were already too rotten for the loggers to take when they went through the area in the late 1800's and early 1900's. We used slivers of it for candles because it lit easy and burned for a super long time compared to wood plus it had a terrific smell. That's how my cousin made much of his meager living for years. I would love to be able to do that again someday, it was super fun and exciting! From what I gather, that kind of heart is fairly rare because you have to have just the right conditions like giant trees (I think these were Hem Fir?) and a relatively dry climate. If it is too wet, the wood rots before it has a chance to consolidate the rosins into the heart. We would only find these on the South slope near the top of the mountain, the North slope didn't seem to have the big, soft, dense hearts nor did the valley bottoms. My cousin did a little demo for me one time. He had me stand next to him then touched the chain of his running saw to the heart and cut about an inch in. I was blasted with oily, turpentine smelling blobs that stuck to me. He would also mash it up and use it for wound dressing and told me that the old-timers used it for intestinal worms and coughs. If you carved small chips and then mashed it up with a stone patiently, you could separate the fibrous material from the rosin and end up with a cream almost like Vaseline. Seemed like it took him a few hours to get a blob about the size of an almond. Another thing that I found very interesting as a kid was that if the tree had fallen with the top uphill, the heart would be much larger than ones that had fallen flat and if they fell with the tops downhill, they probably wouldn't have any heart at all. They would still have resinous cores but just not the soft soapy hearts so we would ignore them if they were fallen downhill.

[@mbburry4759]

Very Interesting thanks for sharing. Not on the scale of you working on those old massive logs, but Relatively young trees can have it here (like even 20 years), just only at those branch-trunk intersections (knot) and injured but healed spots... It's not much though, a much older tree will have way more for the effort. Unfortunately we arent able to easily and legally blow logs up like that anymore, sure would be handy technique on occasuon

[@706d]

You had me at TNT

[@natebalcerak1659]

Bravo! Bellissimo!

[@Dougallism420]

Fascinating bit of knowledge there, thank you very much for sharing some informative history.

[@brotherfred2669]

That explains why the old pine log inmy campfire shot a flame out of it at Boy Scout camp in the early 70s and melted a hole through a soda can that was made of tin not aluminum like they are today.

[@wesg3084]

That is by far the best tutorial on finding fatwood that I have seen. And I have watched dozens. Thank you. I can't wait to get out and try it.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Glad to hear it! Good luck in your adventures!

[@grinkster]

Find a dead pine tree knocked over! Congrats you found fat wood! lol aint that hard! Also why care about fat wood? Worst wood for a fire?

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@grinkster best wood for starting a fire in the rain or if wood is wet after rain.

[@Edcognito]

​@@NickVanLeuven I Love the advantage fatwood gives. I'm lucky that I live in an area where downed pine trees are left alone in the forests around me. Thanks for the good intro, I'm sure it'll help others who struggle to find fatwood.

[@martinclennon4640]

I subscribed. Look forward to more videos.

[@tested123]

i never go in the woods anymore but im obsessed with fatwood. thanks youtube. last year it was cast iron pans which ive never owned.

[@wmluna381]

What are you obsessed with this year? ☺️

[@tested123]

@@wmluna381 boats and camping videos. I do neither.

[@wmluna381]

@@tested123 😂 You're a renaissance man of knowledge if nothing else.

[@tribalismblindsthembutnoty124]

I now own 5 cast iron pans. I will never go back to 'non stick for 1 week' toxic pans. Its been 4 years, whats your thing now? Mine is 3d printing.

[@tested123]

@@tribalismblindsthembutnoty124 swedish axes. And i bought a 10" lodge. Love it!

[@ViperOptix]

2:50 You do this in Australia you would probably dig up 2 eastern browns, 4 red belly blacks, 5 red back spiders, a funnel web and maybe a salt water crock. Good vid, cheers.

[@Bill_tyler]

😂😂

[@richardnystrom8756]

I want somebody to look at me the way this guy looks at fatwood. Sweet vid man.

[@MiaogisTeas]

Find you a girl who sniffs wood like this guy 🤣

[@mbburry4759]

@@MiaogisTeas lol :)

[@coppers615]

You have to be "useful for lots of different things." Good luck bro.

[@cybrunel1016]

It also dawned on me watching this, why wild fires are so aggressive. Imagine all that terpineol left behind when a fire breaks out, it's like having jugs full of gasoline all over the forest bed. Great tut btw, thx 4 sharing your insight.

[@preacherjohn]

Damn.. that's a good point!

[@technosaurus3805]

Yet the us forestry service forbids collecting it. Yellowstone is covered with downed trees just waiting for a lightning strike.

[@cybrunel1016]

@@technosaurus3805 Really ? That's suspicious. It would create 1000's of valuable/resourceful jobs, and help mitigate the voracity of wild fires.Btw. Oregon state is full of fatwood...thank GOD we're plenty soaked year round, if not...no more Oregon,lol.

[@davesbackyardchickensandou3905]

@@cybrunel1016 yes really I Made some videos of massive piles of downed trees. All closed to the harvest. Some areas have more laying down then what's up. And your not allowed to harvest it.

[@prestonsamson3674]

@@cybrunel1016 same thing with most parts of PA thank God it rains every single damn day.....

[@agnosjr]

Nicely done, the old folks used to break the tips of trees that would be used to build log cabins one year earlier of cutting them just to make the trees pump a lot resin to cure the wound they created, making the wood stronger and better for construction, it would not easily rot alway. Have a happy new year and Cheers my friend, also thank you for sharing the knowledge with us.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Interested tidbit. Thanks for watching!

[@Thetinebroken]

When those old log cabins went up you couldn't put the fire out...

[@l3eaver]

Nick Van Leuven Bushcraft any new videos coming soon?

[@ArthurDent12]

@@Thetinebroken I remember a guy that had a whole barn made out of resinous wood. It burned for days.

[@davemartin1534]

@@ArthurDent12 fire is about the only recycler of fat wood. Otherwise there wouldn't b a few examples of Pine Amber on display. Scientists say figure/say them few samples of Amber are over 65 million years old. Now then: I f there is anyone out there that has $ signs rolling around in their heads for gathering pine knots n selling fat wood for a business don't do it. Pine knots are a natural resource that should belongs to every body. That would be abuse to nature. A lot of Bush crafters r kind to nature n say only leave your foot prints in nature. It Takes 2 life times to produce the pine knots... Life time of the tee n the life time of a human.So b kind to nature and only take for only personal use of fat wood just like if u had paid 10$ for a 1inch by 1 inch by 6 inch stick of fat wood. You may save a life.

[@twintwo1429]

I have a milk crate full of pine knot, passed to me , collected by my GRANDFATHER , 35 years ago. It still has some of its fire starting QUALITY. Nature is wonderful. Thanks.

[@danielcharbonneau222]

This is one of the best tutorial on finding fatwood. Very good video

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thank you!

[@mryen90]

Good video but the saw kinda sucks

[@grinkster]

Seriously just look for a dead pine tree knocked over! Ain't that hard?

[@henrymoreland8719]

OK , I get it, you already knew, I and it seem some others did not know, and now we do, hence our lack of sarcasm @@grinkster

[@suzannebeaudry6245]

Finally ! Everybody is talking about fat wood but you answered what it is and where it could be and how to identify it , etc ... thanks

[@johncasey1020]

I wouldn't have looked twice at those rotten pine knots before...

[@NickVanLeuven]

Now you know 😉

[@stuckinavase1586]

No kidding

[@arthurmernard5879]

Same

[@georgedeedsnotwords2162]

Every camper everybody should pay attention to this it just might save a life . This stuff is better than gunpowder . "Deeds not words"

[@HoustonR6ryda]

Thank you for this video ,I found a massive stump of fatwood at my family deer camp in Texas.I have pitched my tent next to it for about 25 years.

[@unusualbydefault]

Man, that's almost like fast food. ....fast wood?

[@tradersquarter]

By far the best fatwood video ever! You tell exactly what to look for, and also showed correct way to use a ferro rod to start it, plus how to clean the saw.

[@Oldsparkey]

Here in Florida I look for a pine stump where the greater portion ( or all ) of the soft wood has rotted away. The soft wood rots away and the heart ( Fat Wood also called Lighter Knot ) stays. If you locate a pine that has fallen and the soft wood has rotted away it's a gold mine of Fat Wood. As you demonstrated you know it's fat wood by that smell of turpentine when you chip it. If you saw off chunks at home , collect the saw dust it is a really great fire stater. I remove any soft wood so i have a solid piece of fat wood. Then cut chunks about the same length as a wood match , then split the fat wood into match size pieces to use as a fire starter when camping. One trip in a swamp it rained all the time ( 3 days ) and turned really cold. To have a campfire we burned nothing but fat wood and that rain did not put it out.

[@tacticalant3841]

I watched this the other day. Today while playing with my dog outside, I remembered and thought I would go look around my property for fat wood. I didn’t walk more than 5 feet when I saw one of these knots. Ive walked past it 1000 times on my way to my shop, but now I know what it is! Thank you!

[@jefftaylor4707]

Thanks Nick,very straightforward and informative,amazing to think at 58 you can still learn something useful ,CHEERS from England.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Glad to hear this. Thanks for watching!

[@JaySav916]

This is amazing. Thanks for taking the time to show us this. You know, ive seen these knots all over, but never have asked myself why they remain when the rest of the tree has near rotted away. It also doesnt leave much of a footprint to collect it in this manner. I appreciate that. Ill be checking out your other videos. Definitely worth a sub!

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thank you!

[@stefanbertasz4690]

I thought I was the only one wth this knowledge. Fat wood can even be found around live trees from branches that have fallen. I look for really large trees or stumps. Those branches filled with fatwood do not decay quickly and termites won't touch them. They're also unproportionately heavy for their size. Fatwood isn't rare like most people think, although some pieces are much better than others. Great vid! 🙏

[@YouTuber-mc2el]

This is an excellent tutorial that is very straight and to the point. Showing us the "knot" configuration and what to look for is very informative. Heart Pine is a wood that used to grow and was used for bldg. construction from roughly 1880 to 1920. You could drill the base of columns and hold a pile of the shavings in your hand. The turpentine type smell was very pleasant.

[@jeremysnowden7653]

Great information, thank you. Also, my grandma showed me as a kid that butter would take off pine pitch and I’ve used that trick ever since. I assume it would work on tools after cutting fat wood too.

[@christopherking7182]

That makes me wonder if fatwood is a a step in petrified wood creation? Great tutorial, more people need to know this!

[@davidcarroll7143]

I would guess, yes

[@Dixler683]

Chris, may lead to the formation of amber. Not petrified wood. Petrified wood was a tree buried quickly by sediment , cutting off the oxygen , preventing decay. Over thousands of years the dissolved minerals in groundwater replaced the cellulose forming petrified wood. The same pressure and time formed amber ( fossilized resin).

[@magistradox39]

It can happen very sudden too, like in a catastrophic event at the big flood covering the whole earth.

[@nativeworker1]

Born and raised in NC. Had a wood heater all my life. We call it lighter. Chewing it is good for the body in many ways

[@jackm4700]

Fat lighter . He is finding lighter knots. We here in Florida used lighter stumps !

[@marcusaurelius9631]

That's what I said. Down south we call it a lighter knot. Never heard it called fatwood before.

[@tikkidaddy]

Yep...me too.,.I burned TONS of this stuff 25 years ago and look what its worth now

[@zingodingo2816]

Very often a standing, living conifer will have low branches having lost their usefulness to the tree, and they're just stubs now...'pine' knots still on the tree. The best part of that scenario is that cutting the branch close to the trunk is quick and easy. Finding them on the ground is excellent; and some are BIG, like the ones you show. Also, on the big ones, the dead wood around the fatwood core can be scraped and used as the first 'kindling.' Roots is new to me...kule! Great information...Thanks for the vid !!

[@winterelm]

Thank you for this awesome video. I never knew about pine knots, just the stump and roots. Now I can't wait to get out into the woods and find some of these.

[@yourhighness81]

Single best video on finding fatwood. Went out, found some 👍🏻👌🏻. Thanks a lot.

[@TheWilderness333]

Great vid! I've watched hundreds of Fatwood videos, made many myself, this one is way above average. Great sound recording plus just cool ideas on finding Fatwood just on the ground.

[@NickVanLeuven]

TheWilderness333 thank you!

[@k1m6a11]

You guys are both great! Just found you both today, after finding my first ever piece of fatwood (it's a monster!). I'm sitting here smelling it and watching your vids. Good work.

[@mkwillis123]

We lack pine forests in AUS, so I went for a drive to a plantation and found a good supply in about half an hour using your tips👍

[@douglasreeves9938]

Good information. Something I have noticed is the under utilization of pine cones when starting camp fires. Lots of resin and usually very dry. Keep it up.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thanks for watching! Good to know about the pinecones.

[@thecaptain6994]

Would you crush up the pine cones in order to light them or just toss them into an already burning fire? Thanks.

[@dgv1gaming343]

The Captain sometimes you can light one end and they burst into flames pretty quick, crushing them makes them burn worse , in my opinion.

[@sunshine7453]

When I was a child, you can buy fatwood in the market for staring fire back when we used wood for cooking. I used to smell them. Now I know where to find them. Thanks!

[@hanslefebvre4860]

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your fatwood finding secrets! Excellent video, and I am now very eager to go fatwood hunting!!

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thanks for watching!

[@misha1777]

This video made the most sense of all the ones I've watched so far. Changed my whole perspective on walking through the woods

[@thatlarryguy6841]

Many of the houses built in the late 19th and early 20th century here in NW Florida were built with fatwood. Last forever, but when they burn, they really burn.

[@BobbyOfEarth]

Pacific north west here, where we have a lot of naturally fallen Pine trees. I just walked out the back door into the woods by the creek and there they were, sticking up out of an old pine tree, a couple of wacks with the hatchet and ..botta bing! Thanks for the tip.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thanks for watching!

[@daphneraven9439]

Tyvm! I live in an area replete with evergreens, & as no idea until this moment, about just picking it up like this!

[@johnlupo9577]

Excellent excellent video. You explained everything in a confident and authoritative tone. For years I thought Fatwood was a type of tree like Ironwood. Today while out for a casual dog walk I found three trees that potentially contain fat wood. I intend to return and harvest what I can. Thanks very much.

[@firstmkb]

The funny thing about ironwood? It isn’t a particular species of wood, just whatever is the hardest variety in that region.

[@joesmania]

In the deep south they call it "Lighter knot". This is the first I've heard of "fat wood" but makes sense as fat = oil & oil is a fuel like pine resins.. Here in the North I've never heard a name for it. We just know it as the good part of the log for kindling. It's interesting to see different things from other parts of the country. Awesome instructions btw, you'd be a good teacher...

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thanks for watching! It's interesting to hear how things are called by different names in different parts of the country.

[@SurvivalNerd]

I'm from Georgia and I've never heard someone call it "Lighter Knot"... 🤔🤔🤔 Throughout Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, it's called "Fat Lighter".

[@jameybaxter]

@@SurvivalNerd I grew in MS, AL, and TX. It was always called lighter knot by everyone I knew.

[@yankeejedi2575]

Best video on the subject I've seen by far. Excellent examples of pine knots.

[@kan-zee]

Really enjoy your HD close up shots of the harvested Lighter wood. !! Amazing that people around here, are selling this by a bundle for 10$ ...and making a killing per week

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thank you! It's funny to me that people pay for this stuff when you can find it everywhere in nature. Thanks for watching the video!

[@davidcarroll7143]

wheres around here.

[@sherpalou]

I've always called it pitch, and the rotted stump method has always worked for me

[@voodoobushcraft6690]

Eureka! Awesome information, thank you. I have been looking for fatwood by cutting off dead branches, but only about 15 percent have fatwood and even then the quality is just ok.

[@NickVanLeuven]

VoodooBushcraft glad this information was helpful! Good luck finding quality fatwood!

[@voodoobushcraft6690]

I am in massachusetts and I never had luck with stumps either. Just supscribed to your channel, Thanks again, God Bless the U.S.A

[@Kayak1088]

15% is pretty good .. that sounds like more than enough to get a fire going before dark falls

[@michaelthomson5101]

Hey Nick, save your denatured alcohol for Trangia stove and use mineral spirits. I have that same saw (7" blade) that I have been using around my house for the past 12 years, I also have seven coastal shore pines (Pinus Contortas) I planted around my house 15 years ago, those are the pines you see at the coast that are twisted and bent from the winds. Wells these things have gotten very big and they demand a lot of trimming hence they get gummed up with sap very quickly, I have found mineral spirits to clean the sap (tree blood) off the blades quickly and efficiently. Really good video, keep up the good work.

[@73F100]

Absolutely great instructional video! Makes me want to go out and find some fat wood just to see if I can do it. Great job.

[@BilgemasterBill]

Thanks for taking the time to show us where to find that handy stuff and how it's used.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Excellent! Now I know.

[@Thatsmisteroldguytou]

Now we all know!!!!

[@wmluna381]

First I've ever seen a pine knot or one talked about in detail as a source of fatwood. Just stumps. Thanks for sharing the knowledge and making the video. 👍

[@junkmail4613]

You should look at the dried dead branches sticking out of the lower trunks of live old pine trees. Usually, there are MANY dead branches on the lower pine trees in the shadows of the lower green branches. Climb under the lower green branches and cut off the stumps of the dead branches on the side of the trunk. They'll be off the ground and dried. Good to burn, but right next to the trunk, fatwood. Good Luck. ----->>> oh also, if there is snow covering the ground, these dead branches I just discussed will be up off the ground, identifiable, and EASY to access, EXCEPT FOR THE SNOW DOWN YOUR COLLAR. Again, GOOD LUCK.

[@SpeakLifeNotDeath]

Best video I have found explaining how to find and process the fatwood. Subscribed. Thank you

[@bdh3949]

Nice work Nick, very informative. Thank you.

[@NickVanLeuven]

BD H thanks for watching!

[@milesholland6826]

Best tutorial on fatwood I have seen yet. Thank you!

[@TruthExposesEvil]

Be careful reaching for old wood with your bare hands, that's where the scorpions and recluse spiders hide.

[@stevem7571]

Rattle snakes

[@ghendar]

@@martinnuman1097 Good thing I'm an elf and immune to paralyzation ;)

[@davidmarklein]

One should be careful in life.. Its such a dangerous thing

[@josef2102]

Lucky i live in sweden, we have one poisonous snake and its not really deadly. We can also go legally into any forest and do everything but cut trees and destroy the nature

[@emmarowley1096]

@@josef2102 I'm glad I live in England only have the adder snake to worry about here and only in certain places.

[@adolforosado]

Absolutely the best guide I've seen, thanks!

[@nosugarplz3867]

Ya in the south we call this lightered knot and it’s everywhere

[@Pizzabones79]

Nick I cannot believe I only just found your channel. There are far too few bushcrafters in the southern west/west coast with worthwhile channels like yours. I'm from SoCal and have fallen in love with bushcraft/ survival but have felt like it wasnt possible because of all the desert surrounding me. I have been completely wrong. Thank you for sharing everything with me on your channel. I appreciate it completely.

[@rwlewko]

I am adding this comment because I want to share something from another video. If you are trying to start a fire with moist material what you can do with fatwood is find a piece of wood with a crack. This piece of wood will be used to hold a piece of fatwood that will start the main fire. Its best if the wood will lay down with the crack facing up. Split off a thin stick of fatwood and carve the end into a sharp wedge that you can tap into the crack. Put the piece with the crack where you want to make the base of the fire. Put the sharp piece of fatwood into the crack so it is sticking up vertical. Put fatwood shavings at the base of the fatwood stick so that when they ignite the fire goes up the fatwood stick. Now you can use small kindling surrounding the fatwood stick and the fire will last long enough to ignite the kindling. In a minute or two you should be able to igniet 1 inch sticks to get your main fire going. I hope that I was clear enough for people to visualize what I was trying to convey. This is something I will practice when spring gets here.

[@coppers615]

Thanks for the advice! Put the fatwood in the crack...got it. I would add, not all cracks are created equal, so be judicious.

[@rwlewko]

@@coppers615 That's why I wrote "Its best if the wood will lay down with the crack facing up". The goal is to have the fatwood stick positioned vertical as possible so that any flame travels up the stick to make a flame that will start damp tinder. Like any of these techniques, you'll have to play/practice with this until you see what works.

[@ernieschatz3783]

Great info! This is the best fatwood-finding tutorial I've seen. I recommend using gloves with anything that contains methanol. Never hurts to be on the safe side.

[@davidclelandd]

Why am I watching a guy sniff wood at 1:33 in the morning

[@natebalcerak1659]

Why am I reading your comment at 2:30 in the morning? 🤔

[@coppers615]

Because...fatwood.

[@themanfromroomfive9445]

@@natebalcerak1659 we don't need all these questions at 3:09 in the morning

[@natebalcerak1659]

You're right. Especially since now its 3:34 in the morning.

[@dutchcourage7312]

Tnx, this seems a lot more doable than trying to find and saw off dead bottom branches and is clearly not as potentially destructive (or looks as though it is, in case of trying to find this on public land).

[@NickVanLeuven]

😉👍

[@deniseallisonstout1901]

Let me know what kind of saw that is so I can steer clear LOL!!

[@jatbatman]

I'm not sure it's the saw as much as the user and maintenance. It looks like a pretty typical camp saw. A file would get it biting well, assuming he's using it properly.

[@Moostery]

@@jatbatman I just use a bowsaw myself. the blades are easy to field sharpen with a lightweight diamond needle file, cheap, light, take up almost no space, and you can even just carry the blades and make a simple frame for it in the woods with a bit of knowhow.

[@NickVanLeuven]

This saw works great! It is a super sharp Corona pruning saw. Fatwood is pretty tough stuff to saw through, and will gunk up any blade pretty fast.

[@Clintcellington]

Like moose, I'm a fan of the bow saw. I have yet to use something that cuts as efficiently.

[@jaylintz1683]

Most informative video I've seen. You actually SHOW how to find it. Thank you

[@mikebromley114]

to get the sticky resin off of your hands and or ???? so that you don't have to use chemicals try a small dollop of butter. it'll take the pitch right off

[@NickVanLeuven]

Good info! Thanks

[@michaelbritton4119]

Coconut oil works well too

[@johnwarring2337]

dang that immediate black smoke flowing out of that instant spark fire; beautiful.

[@GunGuy258]

This is the best video about fatwood I have ever seen. Great job.

[@chiefofit3936]

Super helpful! I've neglected looking up how to search for it. now that I know, I realize I've seen it a lot!!! Large thanks this just saved my wet season survival practices!

[@thecaptain6994]

I agree with the other people who said this is the best video by far on how to find fat wood. Nice job man!

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thank you!

[@beekind466]

A good friend from Tennessee gave us a good amount of processed fatwood he took from his land ...We've used it often and it's lasted 10 years but now it's time to replenish....I'm hoping to find some in the Jack Pine forest next to our home here in Michigan...great tutorial, thank you for all of the great info...I'm going looking this weekend. Might even do a little day camp/stealth camp. Beat stuff ever!

[@NickVanLeuven]

Good luck on your adventures! I hope you find plenty of fatwood

[@basielotabashie7044]

Thank you so much for your time and I appreciate that, Basel

[@mrbrown6421]

I have some of the worst sand pines ever created by the local University. Garbage trees, but when they get a wound (broken limbs), they will drip fine pine rosin in a blob, down the tree, or on the ground. I have collected it, melted and refined it, and used for my fiddle bows. Works fine with both horse hair and synthetic bows. As a bonus, when the string slips on the window shades in my house, applying this dried resin to the strings will make them catch. Cheap thrills in the life of a nature observer.

[@tikkidaddy]

I walked up on entire trees that were fatwood in NC, just laying on the ground when I was a kid...bark limbs whatever would be rotted off and that tree just laying there for years. I wish I'd known then what I do now...great video.

[@NickVanLeuven]

That's awesome!

[@tikkidaddy]

@@NickVanLeuven with the Gatlinburg fire it is very hard for me to find here in TN now where I live....brother...this place had so much dead pine it went up like a bomb. I had WILD birds trying to get inside my house to breathe...

[@SKYHAWK0115]

Thanks Nick, this video lends a hand to anyone needing to survive in the wilderness.

[@Tokilainen]

This is actually very useful, especially considering where I live.

[@coobreeze9]

Thank you for this video Sir! Most video’s I’ve seen only show standing dead trees. Now I know what to look for on the forest floor! Thanks again!!!

[@e-r2961]

Never knew about this. You are also an excellent teacher.

[@whitenative4907]

Thank you, i would always use these to start a fire, because they worked so well, now i know why.

[@NickVanLeuven]

👍

[@insydious9910]

11:27...i put it in my bushcraft kit. It's awesome to know how to find it and use it but if you're going to carry in, carry in good stuff. Bring something like a bic lighter and a cotton balls with vaseline. Carry good stuff and know how to improvise if needed. No point in carrying stuff you know how to find and use. That being said, this was an awesome video and I have another tool in my belt for when i run out of carry in. I watched a couple other fatwood videos and this was really good.

[@eriklorentzen6510]

These are my absolute favorite fire starters. I love cutting these off rotting logs, into little cylinders. And making tiny little "banzai" swedish torches with them. They burn energetically for a good half hour sometimes. More than enough to light of just about any fire. Great informative video.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thanks!

[@simschmidt2312]

I have burned these chunks for years but never clued in. I thought they burned for so long because they were dense. I can say this is great information. I rarely learn new tricks, thank you.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thanks for watching!

[@gungho7129]

Some of the best fatwood in our area is Douglas fir. Obviously also most of the local conifers, including pines. I also was not aware that there was significant fatwood outside of stumps. Thanks, nice video.

[@badbassfishing9974]

I agree, this is by far, the best explanation of fatwood collection I have seen. Awesome video.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thank you!

[@ritcheymt]

This is such a better method than I have seen before. Thanks for posting, Nick!

[@NickVanLeuven]

Thanks for watching!

[@andystephens2871]

Nick, very much appreciated! Without a doubt one of the most practical/ informative (very well explained) bushcraft vids I've seen.

[@paulnathanielsmith]

Fastforward sound of the saw is very satisfying. Very informative video. Thumbs up

[@davewinch6029]

Very well done, thank you, I will collect some of those pine knots the next time I find them. I don't have any pine on my property but I have many old rotten Douglas Fir stumps and that's where I get my fatwood, sticking up out of those stumps. I have a small plastic tote bin that's full of small fatwood sticks I have cut up and split. Great for starting a fire.

[@freeman-1776]

I have been wondering about this since I first learned of fat wood. A friend of mine usually gave me a bunch for my fireplace but I never knew how to look for it. Thanks for posting it.

[@lnilsson1971]

Excellent video demonstration of how to locate and process natural sourced survival materials. Everyone should be required to learn this in elementary school! Thank you for your outstanding video.

[@GodBearOutoors]

Thanks for the info, this is the easiest video to follow that I've seen on how to find fat wood. I'm sure glad to add this knowledge to my toolbox. Thanks again.

[@StevanOutdoor]

Excellent video! Truth be told didn't expect less from a guy with Dutch 'roots'. It's all about efficiency. Getting more work done spending less energy. So instead of swinging around some big ax you use a saw and knife and just use what you find. That's the Dutch way indeed.

[@wandernundnatur]

Much better than the most tutorials. 👍☝️

[@pierrelamontagne2595]

Ty sir. This was good information. You Look like a good human too. Keep these videos up for kids. Should have learned that in school. God bless.

[@hermit6208]

Bro, you need a Silky. Great tutorial. I'd like to find a nice piece to make a handle for a ferro rod. Good prospects that you found.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Bro I have a silky. This Corona pruning saw is a great little saw for the money and it cuts just as good as my silky. And it only cost me $7 on clearance, so I'm not afraid to use and possibly break it.

[@c4poa]

@@NickVanLeuven If you close that Corona, the spine of that saw works great to throw sparks off of your ferro rod too!

[@jasonbabila6006]

We have firs, spruce, ponderosa, and cedar here in the northwest, I’ll definitely be looking for some of those knots from those fallen trees, thanks for an easy way to look for fatwood.

[@jamesmoore3346]

I live in the bottom of mississippi. The locals always called it lightered. You can be walking through the woods and smell it, it is in an abundance here....just get it close to a match and it starts instantly. Best fire starter there ever was....lol

[@christophersmith7714]

Great tips! I've never heard of Pine knots so will look for those! Cheers from UK

[@timkourbo3196]

Thank you for spending the time to explain. Finally clarity on fatwood.

[@NickVanLeuven]

😉👍

[@kcain64]

I learned a ton from this video. Thanks Nick.

[@jitsroller]

Really good info. I never understood how to find it. Now I do.

[@jimv.661]

Thank you for the info. I can picture you running flamming through the woods after putting the pine knots and the piece you blew out in your pack and shouldering it.

[@donaldsmith3048]

Thank you for the information! If you need to start a fire the rotten part lights easy but don't have much to burn so doesn't burn well but can be used to help start the fatwood.

[@jrocks1971]

Dude, that was cool. Never knew the branch knots held fatwood -- SO easy -- BAM. Thank you for this valuable woods knowledge.

[@NickVanLeuven]

No problem!