AY Honors/Camping/Fire/Fuzz sticks
A fuzz stick is a small piece of wood which has had slices cut in the side to expose small shavings. Ideally, the shavings should remain attached to the stick, but if they are accidentally removed, they can still be used. Because the shavings are thin, they are easy to ignite. Because they are attached, they in turn ignite the larger host stick.
To make a fuzz stick safely, choose a piece of dry wood, preferably a dead stick from an evergreen tree. The stick should be about the size of a pencil. Place one end of the stick against a firm surface, such as a log or a rock, and carefully slice into it with a downward, diagonal motion. Stop before the knife reaches the center of the stick. Take another slice a little higher up, and repeat until the stick is covered with the slices of "fuzz." Turn the stick over and make more shavings on the other side. This is far easier to do with a sharp knife and with a soft wood such a pine, fir, spruce or hemlock.
Make several fuzz sticks and use them as the first layer of kindling, positioning them atop the tinder. In some cases, the fuzz sticks themselves can be used as tinder.
