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Image | How to Stack Firewood
How to Stack Firewood
by Phil Williams

Why stack firewood?

Stacking is necessary to dry out wood that is not yet seasoned. If you have green wood that was recently cut, it must be dried to burn efficiently. Ideally, it needs to be stacked outdoors and in the sun if possible. You should never store green wood indoors. This can result in mold because of the moisture coming out of the wood. Another benefit to stacking is getting the wood off the ground so it can dry out faster. It's important to get good air circulation underneath and around your stack. Another great benefit to stacking, it looks nice and orderly compared to a big heap, and is easier to deal with when taking wood to your wood stove or boiler.
How to Stack Firewood
 by Phil Williams

Why stack firewood?

Stacking is necessary to dry out wood that is not yet seasoned. If you have green wood that was recently cut, it must be dried to burn efficiently. Ideally, it needs to be stacked outdoors and in the sun if possible. You should never store green wood indoors. This can result in mold because of the moisture coming out of the wood. Another benefit to stacking is getting the wood off the ground so it can dry out faster. It's important to get good air circulation underneath and around your stack. Another great benefit to stacking, it looks nice and orderly compared to a big heap, and is easier to deal with when taking wood to your wood stove or boiler.
Image | Survival Skills – Fire Making with a Hand Drill
Survival Skills – Fire Making with a Hand Drill
by JW

Learn the basics of making fire with the hand drill method.  Also check out the the WSID article on 9 Ways to Make Fire Without Matches.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/survivalist/survival-skills-hand-drill-fire-making

Survival Skills – Fire Making with a Hand Drill
 by JW

Learn the basics of making fire with the hand drill method.  Also check out the the WSID article on 9 Ways to Make Fire Without Matches.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/survivalist/survival-skills-hand-drill-fire-making

Image | Uses for Wood Ash
Uses for Wood Ash
by Cathe' Fish

With the colder winter months in front of us, fireplaces and woodstoves will start to get more use.  With woodburning, ash is always an end product that needs to be disposed of.  With a little pre-planning and the tips from this article, you can turn a waste product into a valuable resource around the homestead and in the garden. 

Before we begin our discussion of the uses of ash, a special note of caution needs to be mentioned.  Take wood ash away from the woodstove or fire­place in a metal bucket. Never store it in plastic, at least not until the ash is absolutely cool. This way, you avoid burning down buildings (a potentially devastating risk) or damaging surfaces in your house.
Uses for Wood Ash
 by Cathe' Fish

With the colder winter months in front of us, fireplaces and woodstoves will start to get more use.  With woodburning, ash is always an end product that needs to be disposed of.  With a little pre-planning and the tips from this article, you can turn a waste product into a valuable resource around the homestead and in the garden. 

Before we begin our discussion of the uses of ash, a special note of caution needs to be mentioned.  Take wood ash away from the woodstove or fire­place in a metal bucket. Never store it in plastic, at least not until the ash is absolutely cool. This way, you avoid burning down buildings (a potentially devastating risk) or damaging surfaces in your house.
Image | Best Axe Ever!
Best Axe Ever!
by JW

If you are looking to get stocked up on firewood while the winter season is a distant thought and you need a splitting ax,  the Fiskars X27 Super Splitting Axe is a great choice.  I recently invested in this new axe after getting a free load of log rounds from a friend and I can't recommend it enough.  It is super sharp, relatively lightweight, nicely balanced, and splits like a dream.  So if you need a new axe as part of your resiliency tool set (for those with wood stoves and outdoor wood fired ovens), take a look at the Fiskars line of axes. 

Fiskars X Series Axes

 

Best Axe Ever!
 by JW

If you are looking to get stocked up on firewood while the winter season is a distant thought and you need a splitting ax,  the Fiskars X27 Super Splitting Axe is a great choice.  I recently invested in this new axe after getting a free load of log rounds from a friend and I can't recommend it enough.  It is super sharp, relatively lightweight, nicely balanced, and splits like a dream.  So if you need a new axe as part of your resiliency tool set (for those with wood stoves and outdoor wood fired ovens), take a look at the Fiskars line of axes. 

Fiskars X Series Axes

 

Wood Gasification: An Intriguing Emergency Fuel Source
by Dutch John
src=A personal note

As a daily visitor of ChrisMartenson.com, I first want to thank Dr. Chris, his staff and all members for the excellent job achieved in this community. I value the high quality articles backed by data and the informative member comments that are pleasant to read. All of you keep me on track. Up until I found Chris, his Crash Course and articles three years ago, I often was very unsure about my feelings, thoughts and fears about the future. Of course I still expect a different future, but knowing I’m not alone in making preparations and gathering knowledge and skills increases my personal resilience.

Like many members of the “Martenson Brigade” I am becoming less dependent on fossil fuel, high living standards and money. I gave up a very nice income ten years ago to move towards greater self-sufficiency. Investing in home gardening, livestock, solar, wind and biomass energy has made my life more simple, slow and sweet. Yes, I am a big fan of John Seymour. No rat race for me and my wife anymore. Unfortunately, community building is still tough since the local farmers here in the Netherlands have no idea what the world is turning into and I do not live in a city where contrarian thinkers are easier to find. Likewise thinkers are scattered all over the country.

After these three years of absorbing knowledge, I feel payback time has come. As it happens I know a little more about wood gasification compared to the average person.
Wood Gasification: An Intriguing Emergency Fuel Source
 by Dutch John
src=A personal note

As a daily visitor of ChrisMartenson.com, I first want to thank Dr. Chris, his staff and all members for the excellent job achieved in this community. I value the high quality articles backed by data and the informative member comments that are pleasant to read. All of you keep me on track. Up until I found Chris, his Crash Course and articles three years ago, I often was very unsure about my feelings, thoughts and fears about the future. Of course I still expect a different future, but knowing I’m not alone in making preparations and gathering knowledge and skills increases my personal resilience.

Like many members of the “Martenson Brigade” I am becoming less dependent on fossil fuel, high living standards and money. I gave up a very nice income ten years ago to move towards greater self-sufficiency. Investing in home gardening, livestock, solar, wind and biomass energy has made my life more simple, slow and sweet. Yes, I am a big fan of John Seymour. No rat race for me and my wife anymore. Unfortunately, community building is still tough since the local farmers here in the Netherlands have no idea what the world is turning into and I do not live in a city where contrarian thinkers are easier to find. Likewise thinkers are scattered all over the country.

After these three years of absorbing knowledge, I feel payback time has come. As it happens I know a little more about wood gasification compared to the average person.
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 Prep Now for the Coming Winter Challenges
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the needs and sustainability of our family. We have six young children, our oldest just turned 12 and our youngest just turned 3 months old. I love the considerations that the article had above and thought I would add a few things that I have considered for our situation. My...
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