Xmas Fires

How to cut, cord and cozy up to a warm winter campfire

By Craig Smith

In Northern New Mexico, campfires have been part of our communities for centuries, dating back at least to the first inhabitants of Taos Pueblo, where fires remain a part of public ceremonies and private rituals.

Types of Wood

IT ALL BEGINS WITH THE WOOD . Our area is home to a number of popular woods, from the long-burning aromatic pinion to the scented cedar and juniper to the easy-to-start Ponderosa pine to the mild “Christmas-y” scent of spruce. A number of companies in the Taos area sell firewood by the cord or fraction of a cord (a basic cord is a tight stack of parallel logs that measures 4x4x8 feet), and will cut wood to your specifications. If you are a DIY woodperson who wants the experience of gathering your own wood, call the Taos offices of the U.S. Forest Service (575-7586200) to access wood in the national forests, or the Bureau of Land Management (575-7588851) for other cutting locations. Both agencies sell inexpensive permits and can inform you of any rules and regulations in effect. In general, cutting only dead trees is permitted; cutting green trees is prohibited.

Chopping Wood

YOUR NEXT DO-IT-YOURSELF step is cutting your wood to preferred size. A chainsaw is perhaps the most popular tool for this, but if you are not experienced with one, take your wood to someone who is, or get instructions first. In any event, wear goggles, gloves, and other protective gear. The old-fashioned axe remains a tried-andtrue method, but in either case safety is your primary concern. Done cautiously and mindfully, this can be a rewarding phase of your firewood project. As local writer John Nichols once described the process: “Each stick I split radiates a gemlike clarity — a work of art.”

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Stacking Wood

THE BEST WAY TO ORGANIZE wood is in orderly stacks that allow logs to breathe and dry. Use only dry wood in a fire. Keep your firewood in a rack out of the weather or in a shed or raised off the ground enough to let the wood breathe and discourage insects. Don’t forget a protective tarp. And speaking of insects, don’t stack wood up against your house. That just invites an infestation by such unwanted pests as termites and carpenter ants.

Burning Wood

NOW COMES THE ZEN and the Art of Campfire Building. Construct your fire ideally allowing a ten-foot diameter of cleared space around its center. In the end, regardless of how we build campfires — pyramid style, log cabin style or however our parents, grandparents or group leaders did — what is important about them is not how they are built but how they bring us together. As writer David Lubar has written, the campfire is more than just a source of heat or light: “It’s the heart of civilization.”

Here in Northern New Mexico, we are in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Be mindful of that, and let our fires not endanger that beauty, but only illuminate it.