Cottonwood Tinder

The Adventurer, Vernon Wade

Vernon was born in the Pacific Northwest and still lives in the shadow of Mt. Hood, near the small town where he grew up. Vernon has spent decades wandering the hills, hunting mushrooms, camping and riding motorcycles into the remotest nooks and crannies to be found in the region.

This time of year the cotttonwoods shed seeds encased in fluffy dander. This cotton litters the forest, coating the ground in white, drifting in heaps alongside the roads and paths. Easily gathered, it makes a spectacular tinder, transforming a spark into instant flame. It burns out quickly, but mixed with birch or cedar bark, or perhaps some shavings of fatwood to give a more sustained flame, you should have no trouble lighting larger tinder and kindling to build an established fire.