Dig a trench about one foot deep by about three feet long. Lay a good bed of tinder and kindling in the bottom of the trench and add fuel after the kindling is burning. Trench fires are useful for cooking on a windy day, but don't fill the trench opening with too many pots or pans or you won't have enough draft to keep the fire going. Since most campers cover a lot of territory during their camping trips, it might be a good idea to learn which firewoods are available in the different sections of our country. There are six major forest areas in the United States and they contain 1,182 species of trees, which fall into two basic categories-deciduous and conifers.
Most deciduous trees are hardwoods with broad leaves which are shed in the fall.
Hardwoods burn clean and slowly and leave lots of good hot cooking coals. Use them when you're cooking with a Dutch oven or roasting food in aluminum foil. Most conifers are evergreens, or softwoods, and they produce seeds within cones. Conifers usually have needles which they shed, but not all at once, and they remain green throughout the year. Softwoods light easily and make a good campfire, but they burn fast and leave few coals.