Large firewood & no kindling at O.P.P.

[Cattledog]

Just spent a couple of days at Wheatley Provincial Park great little park, nice sites, friendly staff quiet and relaxing it’s my third trip to Wheatley this year but holey crap the firewood is an issue. The wood is getting larger and larger going to need to bring a chainsaw before much longer and the real kicker is on all three trips they haven’t had any kindling available to purchase. Anyone else experienced this in any of the other Ontario Provincial Parks? No kindling is a new one to me.

[DanM-AZ]

If you have big wood and a hatchet or axe, you've got kindling. Processing wood for the camp fire is part of the fun of camping!

[palominoryda]

Pine cones are a good way to start a fire



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[ontario_camper]

I haven't seen anything excessive in Eastern Ontario. We have stopped buying wood from Ontario Parks. We find the wood is always too wet to burn properly.

[Cattledog]

Originally Posted by DanM-AZ

If you have big wood and a hatchet or axe, you've got kindling. Processing wood for the camp fire is part of the fun of camping!

I don’t have axe! The Ontario Provincial Parks use the sale of firewood and kindling as revenue that goes back into the park. It is counter productive for them to not supply quality wood, especially when they don’t want firewood transported due to the ash borer.

[DanM-AZ]

I didn't mean to go out into the the forest to harvest your own wood. If you buy their wood, a hatchet can easily split it down into manageable pieces. It's a basic camping tool!

[NoviBill]

I'm with Dan, a simple hand axe plus 10 minutes and you have a weekends worth of kindling. It's also a lot cheaper than the high priced kindling at most parks. Coat a cotton ball in some Vaseline and you have a fire.

Originally Posted by DanM-AZ

If you have big wood and a hatchet or axe, you've got kindling. Processing wood for the camp fire is part of the fun of camping!

[DanM-AZ]

The last thing that I would want to do is to tell someone with little or no knowledge of basic "woodlore" (skills relating to living in a woodland environment), to run out and get an axe. An axe or hatchet can be a very dangerous tool. There are a number of tips and techniques that one needs to learn first to use one safely. Here is a good place to start:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDp2oPxNV6g

For more, just google, "how to use a hatchet safely".

[ependydad]

I've dealt with this at a couple of campgrounds now. 2 places literally didn't have enough trees to have small branches to collect.

You can make fire starters using hamster cedar wood chip bedding, dryer lint, and some wax.

Or, lately I've been using charcoal with lighter fluid in it. It generally starts bigger stuff without a whole lot of issue.

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by DanM-AZ

If you have big wood and a hatchet or axe, you've got kindling. Processing wood for the camp fire is part of the fun of camping!

I like your ax!.....

I carry a folding wood saw and a 3 pound hatchet.
Making kindling is not an issue.

[DanM-AZ]

Technically, that's neither hatchet, nor axe. It's a tomahawk. It's the CRKT Woods Chogan.

[Brother Les]

Look in the how to start a fire thread. Many good examples

[B and B]

Most of our camping is Ontario Provincial Parks. We carry a hatchet, axe, buck saw to cut wood as needed. We often buy near the park gate vendors just outside, As far as collecting wood or branches you are not suppose to do this, the environmental cycle keeps the forest strong. I also scrounge sites when people leave, often a few pieces are left behind.

[kluza2786]

I've started carrying some cedar shim shingles in my TT. They're easy to break if you want shorter or thinner pieces, don't take up any room, and you don't have to worry about getting them to start burning.

[Black]

Originally Posted by ontario_camper

I haven't seen anything excessive in Eastern Ontario. We have stopped buying wood from Ontario Parks. We find the wood is always too wet to burn properly.

Same here

[Big Red and 30WR]

Bring your own firewood and kindling. That way you know what you got. I figure so many chucks of wood per nite and bring a tote of pine board scraps for kindling. Cover it and nobody knows what you got.

[lonewolf465]

I always have a coffee can full of these:
Fatwood All Natural Firestarter 4 lb. Bag-201274 - The Home Depot
and an axe and a spliting maul.

[RETCHIEF]

I have a cordless sawsall, an axe and a grandson that loves to split wood...life is good.

[Flybob]

Originally Posted by Big Red and 30WR

Bring your own firewood and kindling. That way you know what you got. I figure so many chucks of wood per nite and bring a tote of pine board scraps for kindling. Cover it and nobody knows what you got.

Please do not transport firewood. Your camp fire is not worth the potential loss of an entire forest due to invasive insects.

[Wobbles]

Originally Posted by RETCHIEF

I have a cordless sawsall, an axe and a grandson that loves to split wood...life is good.

My father used me for the sawsall/splitter/loader and all around cheap labor. Did not realize it at the time, seems it made me turn in early.