The Benefits Of Fatwood

What Is Fatwood?

Originally championed by our Chairman Leigh Perkins, Orvis fatwood is a completely natural and sustainably sourced firewood made from the stumps of Central American longleaf pine trees. Naturally water resistant, easy to light, and long lasting, fatwood is also one of the most potent and effective ways to light your hearth, stove, or campfire. Below, we’ve compiled five benefits Orvis fatwood has over both conventional kindling and chemical firelighters.

Five Benefits Of Fatwood

1. Fatwood Is Water Resistant

Due to its highly concentrated resin, and unlike common kindling, our fatwood is naturally water repellent and can be lit even when wet. This easily alleviates common issues associated with storing firewood and protecting it from moisture, and means you’ll be able to get a fire going whatever the weather. These admirable qualities also make fatwood the fuel of choice for many keen adventurists who want to bring the coziness of a traditional campfire on a kayaking, canoeing, or camping trip without the hassle of getting wet wood burning.

2. Fatwood Is 100% Natural

One of the biggest draws of fatwood for traditionalists and conservationists alike is its 100% natural composition. Lacking the chemicals, propellants, and toxins found in most firelighters and many popular brands of charcoal and kindling, fatwood is just the wood from pine stumps left behind after logging, naturally infused with extra-flammable resin.

3. Fatwood Is Easy To Light

Because of its high resin content, fatwood is extremely combustible and burns easily, wet or dry, and without the constant attention that most natural kindling requires. Valued as the most reliable natural fire starter available, fatwood is both wind and water resistant, and burns hot enough to light larger pieces of wood, meaning that even a small piece can function as an efficient fire starter when used with kindling.

4. Fatwood Is Environmentally Responsible

As a keen proponent of conservation, Orvis is dedicated to working with only the most environmentally responsible companies to source our products. Our fatwood, harvested from the stumps of already felled trees, is a naturally occurring byproduct of the sustainable timber industry in Central America, and is never taken from live trees or rainforest zones. Instead, after a section of forest has been harvested for its timber, our contractors remove the resin-rich fatwood from the remaining pine stumps. This insures that the forest floor will be renewed, aiding in reforestation.

5. Fatwood Supports Communities

Just as important as its natural composition and lessened impact on the environment, is the dramatic impact our fatwood has on the communities in Honduras where the majority is harvested. With over 60 percent of the population living in poverty, and one of the lowest per capita incomes in the region, Honduras has long battled with a rising crime rate, chronic deforestation, and the destruction of much of its rainforest and other natural habitats due to illegal logging. Many foresters and farmers live on a minimum wage of just eight dollars a day, and lack access to comprehensive healthcare or other government services.

Orvis Fatwood offers a solution. With almost all of its value held in the labor required to harvest, cut, and package it, a fair share of the profits from our fatwood is kept by local Honduran laborers, allowing them to earn a steady wage in a sustainable industry, rather than relying on itinerant labor, unpredictable cash crops such as coffee, or black-market logging. This means that every sack of fatwood you buy this winter helps to provide rural workers in Central America an ongoing opportunity to earn a living and defend the lands they call home.