Fatwood
Encyclopedia
Fatwood, also known as "fat lighter," "lighter wood", "rich lighter", "pine knot","heart pine" or "lighter'd" (sic), is derived from the heartwood of pine
trees. This resin-impregnated heartwood becomes hard and rot-resistant. The stump (and tap root) left in the ground after a tree has fallen or has been cut is an excellent source of "fatwood". Other locations such as the joints where limbs intersect the trunk can also be harvested. Although most resinous pines can produce fatwood, in the southeastern United States the wood is commonly associated with Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), which historically was highly valued for its high pitch
production.
times, when man first started using fire. The commercial use of fatwood from stumps stemmed from its use to make pitch
and pine tar
. In Sweden
and what became known as "Stockholm tar" and in Scandinavia
as "peasant tar". In 1648 a company was formed in Sweden called Norrländska Tjärkompaniet (The Wood Tar Company of North Sweden), and was given exclusive export rights by the King of Sweden.
liquid
and contains Terpene
which is volatile and is a class of hydrocarbons. The state in which fatwood is found is that of the resin hardening over time and ranges from a form of colloquially named Copal
after the tree of the same name, to Amber
(another tree), and are states leading from sub-fossil or semi-fossilized resin to a process that can result in petrification.
and even Paleontology
, as well as other studies. The study of decomposition
is referred to as taphonomy
. When a tree falls or is cut the remains are subject to normal atmospheric
condition
s and decay
. Pine resin is resistant to decay and will begin to solidify. Why one stump might decay and another close by becomes fatwood can be as simple as the acidity of the ground, time of year each tree fell or was cut, and even the condition of the tree while it was living, along with the amount of sap thus resins and terpine in the trees. Certain times of the year (peak growth season) the sap flows more heavily and a tree consumes more carbon dioxide
so more is stored in the tree. Decomposition of dead wood releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. When a tree is cut and the sap flows it is referred to as bleeding and is a natural defense of a tree against damage. A bleeding process is common when harvesting sap from a living tree. The resin of a cut or fallen tree begins to harden and this will have a natural effect of sealing the "wound" thus preventing exudation
. A fallen tree will be more subject to the environment
, because of uninhibited microbial
colonization and attacks, as well as natural water leeching
, the outer layers will decay and even faster when subjected to insects, resulting in eluviation
. A time line may be accelerated in hot weather but a tree stump, becoming a sort of vessel now being sealed by the resin, will not bleed as much and results in a natural preservation. The natural process of decaying leads to chemical decomposition
. The heart of a pine tree, including roots and stumps, that have become fatwood is combustable
.
Fatwood is scar tissue of a damaged or injured pine tree. A lighting strike will scar a tree sometimes top to bottom without necessarily killing the tree. The result scar of burnt bark will "scar" over with resin. Once harden, the wood and bark around the area becomes rich with the flammable harden resin. High winds breaking limbs, or violently twisting the tree, will also open "wound" in the tree bark. Again, resin will harden forming "scar" tissue rich in fatwood. Hard yellowish resin can be found around the wound area. This can then be scraped off and used as a fire starter.
"fatwood" is known as "rich lighter" and cut slivers are what is referred to as "kindling" because of the abundance. The pitch-soaked wood produces an oily, sooty smoke, and it is recommended that one should not cook on a fire until all the fatwood has completely burned out. Because of this oily smoke fatwood should not be used for indoor fireplaces. A fatwood pine knot burns hot enough that even one of a smaller size can cause damage to a wood stove and even cause house fires. The smoke produced by "fatwood" is an excellent bug (especially mosquito
) repellent
.
classified as resin
ous pine trees
around the world. The propensity for fatwood to exist covers a range including Eurasia, where they range from the Canary Islands, Iberian Peninsula and Scotland east to the Russian Far East. From the Philippines, Norway, Finland and Sweden (Scots Pine), and eastern Siberia (Siberian Dwarf Pine), and south to northernmost Africa. From the Himalaya and Southeast Asia, with one species (Sumatran Pine) just crossing the Equator in Sumatra,. In North America, they range from 66°N in Canada (Jack Pine), to Central America
to 12°N in Nicaragua (Caribbean Pine). The highest diversity in the genus occurs in Mexico and California. In the sub-tropics of the Southern Hemisphere, including Chile, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Argentina and New Zealand, where the trees are not indigenous
but were introduced. Anywhere there is a pine tree or pine stump
, there can be fatwood that can be found on top of the ground, but is more concentrated and preserved in stumps.
; when fatwood is cooked down in a fire kiln, the heavier resin product that results is tar
. The steam
that vaporizes from this process is turned into a liquid that becomes turpentine.
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
trees. This resin-impregnated heartwood becomes hard and rot-resistant. The stump (and tap root) left in the ground after a tree has fallen or has been cut is an excellent source of "fatwood". Other locations such as the joints where limbs intersect the trunk can also be harvested. Although most resinous pines can produce fatwood, in the southeastern United States the wood is commonly associated with Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), which historically was highly valued for its high pitch
Pitch (resin)
Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
production.
History
Fatwood use began in prehistoricPrehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
times, when man first started using fire. The commercial use of fatwood from stumps stemmed from its use to make pitch
Pitch (resin)
Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
and pine tar
Pine tar
Pine tar is a sticky material produced by the high temperature carbonization of pine wood in anoxic conditions . The wood is rapidly decomposed by applying heat and pressure in a closed container; the primary resulting products are charcoal and pine tar.Pine tar consists primarily of aromatic...
. In Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and what became known as "Stockholm tar" and in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
as "peasant tar". In 1648 a company was formed in Sweden called Norrländska Tjärkompaniet (The Wood Tar Company of North Sweden), and was given exclusive export rights by the King of Sweden.
Composition
Tree resin is a viscousViscosity
Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...
liquid
Liquid
Liquid is one of the three classical states of matter . Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Some liquids resist compression, while others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly...
and contains Terpene
Terpene
Terpenes are a large and diverse class of organic compounds, produced by a variety of plants, particularly conifers, though also by some insects such as termites or swallowtail butterflies, which emit terpenes from their osmeterium. They are often strong smelling and thus may have had a protective...
which is volatile and is a class of hydrocarbons. The state in which fatwood is found is that of the resin hardening over time and ranges from a form of colloquially named Copal
Copal
Copal is a name given to tree resin that is particularly identified with the aromatic resins used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and other purposes...
after the tree of the same name, to Amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
(another tree), and are states leading from sub-fossil or semi-fossilized resin to a process that can result in petrification.
Natural process
The science of how fatwood evolves includes complicated studies of ArchaeologyArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and even Paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, as well as other studies. The study of decomposition
Decomposition
Decomposition is the process by which organic material is broken down into simpler forms of matter. The process is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biome. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death...
is referred to as taphonomy
Taphonomy
Taphonomy is the study of decaying organisms over time and how they become fossilized . The term taphonomy was introduced to paleontology in 1940 by Russian scientist Ivan Efremov to describe the study of the transition of remains, parts, or products of organisms, from the biosphere, to the...
. When a tree falls or is cut the remains are subject to normal atmospheric
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
condition
Condition
-Logic:* Logical conditional* Necessary and sufficient condition, condition of another means that the former statement is true if and only if the latter is true-Computer programming:* Conditions, a generalization of exceptions in exception-handling...
s and decay
Decomposition
Decomposition is the process by which organic material is broken down into simpler forms of matter. The process is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biome. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death...
. Pine resin is resistant to decay and will begin to solidify. Why one stump might decay and another close by becomes fatwood can be as simple as the acidity of the ground, time of year each tree fell or was cut, and even the condition of the tree while it was living, along with the amount of sap thus resins and terpine in the trees. Certain times of the year (peak growth season) the sap flows more heavily and a tree consumes more carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
so more is stored in the tree. Decomposition of dead wood releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. When a tree is cut and the sap flows it is referred to as bleeding and is a natural defense of a tree against damage. A bleeding process is common when harvesting sap from a living tree. The resin of a cut or fallen tree begins to harden and this will have a natural effect of sealing the "wound" thus preventing exudation
Exudate
An exudate is any fluid that filters from the circulatory system into lesions or areas of inflammation. It can apply to plants as well as animals. Its composition varies but generally includes water and the dissolved solutes of the main circulatory fluid such as sap or blood...
. A fallen tree will be more subject to the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
, because of uninhibited microbial
Microorganism
A microorganism or microbe is a microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters, or no cell at all...
colonization and attacks, as well as natural water leeching
Leaching (agriculture)
In agriculture, leaching refers to the loss of water-soluble plant nutrients from the soil, due to rain and irrigation. Soil structure, crop planting, type and application rates of fertilizers, and other factors are taken into account to avoid excessive nutrient loss.Leaching may also refer to ...
, the outer layers will decay and even faster when subjected to insects, resulting in eluviation
Eluvium
Eluvium is the moniker of ambient recording artist Matthew Cooper, who currently resides in Portland, Oregon. Cooper, who was born in Tennessee and raised in Louisville, Kentucky before relocating to the Northwest, is known for blending various genres of experimental music including shoegaze,...
. A time line may be accelerated in hot weather but a tree stump, becoming a sort of vessel now being sealed by the resin, will not bleed as much and results in a natural preservation. The natural process of decaying leads to chemical decomposition
Chemical decomposition
Chemical decomposition, analysis or breakdown is the separation of a chemical compound into elements or simpler compounds. It is sometimes defined as the exact opposite of a chemical synthesis. Chemical decomposition is often an undesired chemical reaction...
. The heart of a pine tree, including roots and stumps, that have become fatwood is combustable
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
.
Fatwood is scar tissue of a damaged or injured pine tree. A lighting strike will scar a tree sometimes top to bottom without necessarily killing the tree. The result scar of burnt bark will "scar" over with resin. Once harden, the wood and bark around the area becomes rich with the flammable harden resin. High winds breaking limbs, or violently twisting the tree, will also open "wound" in the tree bark. Again, resin will harden forming "scar" tissue rich in fatwood. Hard yellowish resin can be found around the wound area. This can then be scraped off and used as a fire starter.
Wood kindling and tinder
Because of the flammability of terpene, fatwood is prized for use as kindling in starting fires. It lights quickly even when wet, is very wind resistant, and burns hot enough to light larger pieces of wood. A small piece of fatwood can be used many times to create tinder by shaving small curls and using them to light other larger tinder. In LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
"fatwood" is known as "rich lighter" and cut slivers are what is referred to as "kindling" because of the abundance. The pitch-soaked wood produces an oily, sooty smoke, and it is recommended that one should not cook on a fire until all the fatwood has completely burned out. Because of this oily smoke fatwood should not be used for indoor fireplaces. A fatwood pine knot burns hot enough that even one of a smaller size can cause damage to a wood stove and even cause house fires. The smoke produced by "fatwood" is an excellent bug (especially mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
) repellent
Repellent
Repellent can refer to:* Insect repellent* Animal repellent...
.
Distribution
There are between 105 and 125 speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
classified as resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
ous pine trees
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
around the world. The propensity for fatwood to exist covers a range including Eurasia, where they range from the Canary Islands, Iberian Peninsula and Scotland east to the Russian Far East. From the Philippines, Norway, Finland and Sweden (Scots Pine), and eastern Siberia (Siberian Dwarf Pine), and south to northernmost Africa. From the Himalaya and Southeast Asia, with one species (Sumatran Pine) just crossing the Equator in Sumatra,. In North America, they range from 66°N in Canada (Jack Pine), to Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
to 12°N in Nicaragua (Caribbean Pine). The highest diversity in the genus occurs in Mexico and California. In the sub-tropics of the Southern Hemisphere, including Chile, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Argentina and New Zealand, where the trees are not indigenous
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
but were introduced. Anywhere there is a pine tree or pine stump
Stump
In its most general sense, stump is an English word. It may refer to:*Tree stump, the rooted remains of a felled tree*Stump, the remains of a limb after amputation...
, there can be fatwood that can be found on top of the ground, but is more concentrated and preserved in stumps.
The United States
In the United States the pine tree, Pinus palustris, known as the Longleaf pine, once covered as much as 90000000 acres (364,217.4 km²) but due to clear cutting was reduced by as much as 95% to 97%. The trees grow very large (up to 150 feet), taking 100 to 150 years to mature and can live up to 500 years. The wood was prized and cutting resulted in many hundreds of thousands of stumps that are very resinous, do not rot, and eventually become fatwood. This ushered in a new industry for many years. There is still a market for the wood, but supplies are less abundant. Due to the length of growing time, the Pinus taeda, also called the Loblolly pine, replaced it for commercial replanting, with a maturity of only 38 to 45 years.Industrial uses
Industrial uses for fatwood include production of turpentineTurpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
; when fatwood is cooked down in a fire kiln, the heavier resin product that results is tar
Tar
Tar is modified pitch produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving wooden vessels against rot. The largest...
. The steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
that vaporizes from this process is turned into a liquid that becomes turpentine.
Other uses
Tree resins or by-products are used in many different things to include;- Household chemicals especially for cleaning such as turpentine and pine oil.
- Painting materials such as shellac.
- Nail polish
- medical to include dental
- Cutler's resin is still used in making knife handles.