A Dakota fire hole requires much less firewood and burns more efficiently, producing hotter fires with less wood. This makes it a very valuable wilderness survival technique in places where firewood is scarce or requires much effort to obtain.
It also creates a stable platform that is very convenient for cooking.
The fire is concealed within a hole limiting the amount of visible light emitted and smoke is also decreased because the wood is burning hotter and more efficiently.
Boy Scout!
Makes sense !
In areas where there are tree roots it can burn down a forest, too!! You must be careful where and how!!
I agree with Lynne Denena! Fire travels a long ways along a root path! Know your ground.
Love it
Please don’t stop now!!
He did mention the root system, plus they have to dry out and fire needs oxygen to burn so traveling inside a root with the liquid or limited air helps the safety factor
Fire can travel underground via roots and duff for up to a couple of miles. Slash piles burned in the fall can also come back to life in the summer because of the underground.
I saw this on the walking dead!
Use ’em all the time Brian. They work great.
Very neat.
While winter hunting for elk in Montana I was caught in a sudden whiteout blizzard. I cleared the snow and built a fire hole then created a single pole tent from my army poncho. I gathered two large armfulls of twigs and sticks for fuel and rode out the storm that lasted another 26 hours. I was warm and cozy but bored senseless…it could have been much worse.