Natural Tinders

Natural tinders are are great way to progress your fire lighting skills once you have got the hang of using some of the man made tinders that are available. Knowing which materials are available means you no longer have to carry tinders with you, reducing the weight of your kit. here are a small selection of some of the tinders available in most places across the UK.

Silver Birch  (Betula pendula)

The bark of the silver birch (Betula pendula) is a fantastic tinder for

use with either sparks or flame. The bark contains naturally flammable oils which combust very easily and burn

 fiercely, The papery bark can be peeled away or small shavings and dust can bemade by scraping thicker pieces

of bark with the edge of a knife.

Rosebay Willow Herb (Chamerion angustifolium)

Rosebay Willow Herb is a perennial herbaceous plant that can be found throughout the UK and most of the northern hemisphere. It is commonly found around wetland areas. The fluffy down like material can be harvested towards the end of the summer and catches using a small spark.

Gorze, furze or whin (Ulex europaeus)

Whilst not so good at taking a spark, gorse is incredibly good at lighting from a small flame. It does, however burn very quickly so is not suitable as a fuel. The gorse can also be used for food, medicine and carving
Cramp balls

Also know as king Alfred's cakes, cramp balls are a fungus commonly found on fallen Ash trees, although it is not unusual to find it growing on other broad leaf species. It will take a spark with ease and burn very slowly unless you blow it into life. It was traditionally used to carry fire from place to place.