Blog

How to use a ferrocerium rod

Ferrocerium rods are great for two reasons. One, they can create an intensely hot spark regardless of weather conditions and two, their name can stump super intense pre-teens in our country’s most challenging spelling bees.  We’ll focus on the former benefit rather than the latter and refer to them as “ferro rods” going forward.  You … Read more

How to start a fire with sticks

I was fascinated by fire when I was a kid. I wasn’t dropping matches in trash cans or anything but I loved the fact that I could harness the power of something as significant as fire simply by rubbing two sticks together. My grandparents could keep me away from lighters, but they couldn’t hide all … Read more

Reforestation: How to create productive woodlands from barren fields

Reforestation is the renewal of a forest after a disturbance. This can be through natural processes or as a result of forest management. Contrary to popular belief, deforestation – or long term loss of forest cover – isn’t generally the result of fire or logging but because of land conversion to agriculture and urbanization. In … Read more

Forest Soil: the Foundation of Long-Term Woodland Thriving

The dynamic interaction between vegetation and soil is so strong that it’s unclear which is dominant. Soil helps secure and renew the forest; forests help secure and renew the soil. The forest covers and protects the soil from extreme heat and cold while slowing the natural forces of erosion like water, wind, and gravity. Soil sustains … Read more