Fire Making 101

Fire Building:

Contrary to popular belief, even a stupid person can make a fire in the wild - just look at California, every year stupid people cost the state billion of dollars in wildfires.
We recently stayed at a state campsite in Lake Placid where we had to buy our firewood from the host. DON'T EVER BUY YOUR FIREWOOD AT A SITE!! The wood you get is poor quality, treated, lumberyard leftovers. It wont burn unless you pile on stacks at a time and coat it in gas. Pointless.
A fire does not nee to be big. If built right it will retain a heat center and WILL re-ignite even after you douse it in water (I know. I've seen it and done it.)
The "American Way of Campfires" (dumping huge logs in a pile and dousing it in lighter fluid) gives you an impressive, really big, flamey fire; but its not very hot and it requires lots more big logs to maintain it.
A smaller fire (just two logs at a time), if built right, keeps a much higher temperature for a longer period and only requires you to turn the logs over when the flames start to die down.

A Fire From Scratch:

You can find everything you need to start a fire in the woods (Duh!)

Fire starter: Use tissue, dried moss or silver birch bark. All of these light very quickly.

Selection of sticks: Fallen branches in different sizes.
Smallest are twigs etc, around 4-6" long, followed by larger twigs and small branches, 6-8" long and 1/4" thick.
Larger branches, 6-10" long and 1/2" thick, and then finally logs, in a variety of sizes.

[NOTE: Whilst you forage for wood, keep your eyes open for a good 'pokey stick'. This will make your fire maintaining easier. A 'pokey stick' should be any length you please, about 1/2" thick, solid branch that is not too dried out and so therefore won't ignite in the flames when you are turning logs over or stoking the fire.]

You need to build it in layers, using the twigs and small branches, into a pyramid shape; but you must leave gaps so you are able to get to your fire starter to light it. Once lit, feed the fire with bigger branches,. When you have a nice flame, and you can see the center of the fire as burning hot embers, let the pyramid collapse and then add a small log to the side of the embers. When half the log is burning away, add a larger log in a cross on top. Turn a log a quarter when they are red hot to keep the heat and flame going. Add the next log only when one log is about to crumble into embers.

Example: Today i started a fire at 9:30AM using only what i had found the night before. After putting on TWO big logs, I left the fire alone all day, and at 4:30PM, it was still burning. It only required a few small sticks to get the flames back again. Yes. I rock.