The branches lying on the ground are ok if they are dry. You will usually find that they hold a lot of moisture. The thin pieces from the larger wood can also be split and used. Your next size of wood is your larger fire holding wood that will make good coals for cooking. Large limbs and downed trees are a good source for this size wood.
Matches only work if they are dry.
Metal match is the new flint and steel method packed into survival kits. It uses a magnesium alloy or a special fiber washer to catch sparks from your metal match. Shave the magnesium into a pile and then scrape off a shower of sparks to catch the shavings on fire. It burns with extreme heat but is short lived. They do work after you learn how.