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We had a post about fatwood before, but I wanted to take it a step further and explain it a little more in depth along with some pictures.
Pine resin/sap/pitch can be found in pines just about every where. We've all seen it dripping and/or formed on a damaged tree before. When a tree is damaged the sap forms a bandage you could say preventing diseases and/or insects from getting inside of it.
This is no different when a tree is cut down or snapped off leaving the roots intact and part of the tree above ground. This is where you can find a fatwood "jackpot!" There are pictures below showing a clear cut area with stumps and roots intact and two pictures of trees rescently snapped off by straight line winds with roots intact also. What happens is the root system will keep producing sap and impregnating what is left of the stump and the root system until the wood is so impregnated with sap it actually takes on a fatty colored appearance. Some types of the pine family produce more sap then others and to be honest I couldn't tell you which ones do because I'm still learning that part myself. I've found most of my fatwood in the root system itself, towards the center of the stump, on outside edges of the stump and in areas where knots exist. WARNING!!! Chopping into a piece of knotted fatwood will chip the best knife, it is like concrete!
Small amounts of fatwood can also be found on a living tree towards the bottom of the trunk. In the pictures below you will also see a healthy tree who's bottom branches are dead. Not all the time and depending on the tree type you will often find fatwood by breaking the dead branch off the tree. It will be found closest to the tree. I do not recommend this though unless it's an emergency. The branch may be dead, but the tree is not. As mentioned before almost all of my fatwood comes from stumps and root systems. Plantation tree stumps are often a good place to look after the tree has been cut off.
Keep in mind the process of creating fatwood takes time. For Ex., the tree stump in the clearcut below was cut down late last year. I actually marked that stump location with my GPS and on a map to come back to in about a year. It should be PRIME then!
This also goes for the plantation trees. Sure I could have taken some thin pieces today, but I'll wait until it is full of resin.
I'm no expert on this subject and may have some of the terminology wrong, but I hope this helps explain a little better about how fatwood is formed. All I can do is share what I have found hands on.
Take care and be safe out there!
Pine resin/sap/pitch can be found in pines just about every where. We've all seen it dripping and/or formed on a damaged tree before. When a tree is damaged the sap forms a bandage you could say preventing diseases and/or insects from getting inside of it.
This is no different when a tree is cut down or snapped off leaving the roots intact and part of the tree above ground. This is where you can find a fatwood "jackpot!" There are pictures below showing a clear cut area with stumps and roots intact and two pictures of trees rescently snapped off by straight line winds with roots intact also. What happens is the root system will keep producing sap and impregnating what is left of the stump and the root system until the wood is so impregnated with sap it actually takes on a fatty colored appearance. Some types of the pine family produce more sap then others and to be honest I couldn't tell you which ones do because I'm still learning that part myself. I've found most of my fatwood in the root system itself, towards the center of the stump, on outside edges of the stump and in areas where knots exist. WARNING!!! Chopping into a piece of knotted fatwood will chip the best knife, it is like concrete!
Small amounts of fatwood can also be found on a living tree towards the bottom of the trunk. In the pictures below you will also see a healthy tree who's bottom branches are dead. Not all the time and depending on the tree type you will often find fatwood by breaking the dead branch off the tree. It will be found closest to the tree. I do not recommend this though unless it's an emergency. The branch may be dead, but the tree is not. As mentioned before almost all of my fatwood comes from stumps and root systems. Plantation tree stumps are often a good place to look after the tree has been cut off.
Keep in mind the process of creating fatwood takes time. For Ex., the tree stump in the clearcut below was cut down late last year. I actually marked that stump location with my GPS and on a map to come back to in about a year. It should be PRIME then!
This also goes for the plantation trees. Sure I could have taken some thin pieces today, but I'll wait until it is full of resin.
I'm no expert on this subject and may have some of the terminology wrong, but I hope this helps explain a little better about how fatwood is formed. All I can do is share what I have found hands on.
Take care and be safe out there!
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