Natural Tinders: A Field Guide to What Burns

Chris breaks down his go-to natural tinders here in the UK into six practical categories.

If you are anything like me, you are constantly walking around in "Squirrel mode", eying up any potential material that is in any way, shape or form bushcraftable! Tinder is probably one of my most frequently squirreled resources, constantly filling my pockets with bits of bark or dry grasses, ready for the next tinder bundle.

We can separate natural tinders into the following subcategories:

• 1. Outer Bark
• 2. Inner Bark
• 3. Fungus
• 4. Seed Heads
• 5. Grasses & Plant Fibres
• 6. Resins

Outer Bark

The most sought-after is probably birch bark, either the papery flaking variety that naturally sheds, or a thicker sheet from a dead and downed tree or branch. Other lesser-known species that produce great outer bark and are also worth looking into are Scots Pine, Honeysuckle, and Cherry.

Silver Birch

Betula pendula

Scots Pine

Pinus sylvestris

Common Honeysuckle / Woodbine

Lonicera periclymenum

Wild Cherry (Gean)

Prunus avium

Inner Bark

Lime (Tilia sp.) is used in towns and cities as an ornamental tree. Its branches fall and start to rot, making the bond between the bark and twig looser. Over time, these are then able to be separated to produce fibres which, once processed down, can make a really good tinder bundle. Additionally, the branches that you strip can also be used as kindling.

Other trees such as poplar and sweet chestnut can also be used in the same way. Experiment by peeling bark off any fallen trees you come across and see if you can peel away the inner bark.

Lime

Tilia sp.

Poplar

Sweet Chestnut

Fungus

My absolute favourite tinder is King Alfred's Cakes or Cramp Balls (Daldinia concentrica), a black-brown lump that grows primarily on ash trees (make sure you are subscribing to the newsletter for our monthly tree ID guide).

These start off dense and heavy whilst lighter brown in colour. Once they cast their black sooty spores, they darken in colour and become dry enough to catch a spark. The ember glows very hot and is an excellent source of heat for a tinder bundle. I really like the smell, and rumour has it, the smoke will keep biting bugs at bay. The fungus is host to a rare weevil, so collection should be limited to abundant sources.

King Alfred's Cakes / Cramp Balls

Daldinia concentrica

Seed Heads

Rising to fame from the TikTok generation, the seed heads of Great Reedmace, often called Bulrush or Cat-tails, are super airy fibres that create a flash tinder. Not particularly effective on their own, but when mixed with coarser fibres they are a brilliant way to get a quick flame, and readily available if you don't mind wet feet! Willowherb and thistle down are a good alternative and are often found in abundance.

Great Reedmace / Bulrush

Willowherb

Thistle

Grasses & Plant Fibres

These are often the bulk of your tinder bundles. Being coarser in nature, they take more heat to ignite but burn longer. My favourites are Sticky Weed (Galium aparine) and Molinia sp. grass. Quick enough to gather a soft ball or grapefruit-sized bundle. Nettle stalks and willowherb will often stand once dead; breaking off the tops will give you a workable material.

Resins

Most people have experience of sticky pine sap. This thick and gooey liquid is highly flammable and can be collected either as the sticky or crystallised sap, or can be stored within the knots of branches. Collecting this resin-rich "fatwood" can be quite addictive — sourcing the right tree, fallen at just the correct angle. Branches and knots on the downward side of a fallen tree will have been gravity-fed the rich resin. Scraped or grated fibres will catch a spark from a ferro rod and burn like a candle, after which thin slivers of the wood can be added to increase the flame.