First you’ve got to find wood you can burn, and then you’ve got to dry it out so you can burn it. It’s a whole thing.

• Most of the twigs and branches you’ll find on the ground won’t be of much use right away. This is because they’re like sponges when it comes to rain, fog, dew, etc., making them too “green” for burning. Dead wood sucks up moisture, whereas dead limbs from standing trees make great fuel.

• As you continue your search, look for trees in sunny areas. It should go without saying that their branches won’t be as wet as those from trees in denser regions. A failsafe trick to determine whether a branch or twig should be collected: Break it in half. If it makes a snapping noise and it’s easy to break, then it’s worth hauling back to your campsite.

• If you’ve found enough dry firewood to build and keep a fire going for a while, well, congratulations, but that doesn’t mean that a rainstorm isn’t just around the corner. For one reason or another, you may find yourself forced to dry out wood at some point. In normal circumstances, it can take anywhere from six to eight months for green firewood to “season” and be dry enough for burning. Obviously, you don’t have that kind of time if you’re shivering in the wilderness.

• First things first: Do your best to keep your firewood away from the ground, which is wet. Store it on an elevated surface in a dry place. This could be a makeshift woodshed, if you’ve got the time and resources to build one, or whatever you’re using for shelter. Just be sure to check the wood for termites and other creepy crawlies if you plan on sleeping next to it.

• Once you’ve found (or built) a dry place to store your firewood, place it in stacks no taller than four feet high. Make sure there’s plenty of room between the pieces to allow for air to circulate and moisture to evaporate. Don’t cover the wood with a tarp or anything like that. This will only help seal in the moisture and keep the wood wet.

• During your time in the wilderness, you should keep your firewood stash well stocked and your driest pieces all in the same place. If you absolutely, positively need to get a fire going and don’t have any dry firewood available, you could try whittling away the exterior bark of the driest pieces. The interior may be dry enough to burn. Once you get the fire going, you can add the wetter wood, but do so slowly, one piece at a time. Too much wet wood could kill the flames. Placing wetter pieces next to the fire will help them dry out, but don’t expect any miracles. Also, the wetter the wood, the greater the amount of smoke it will produce. Keep that in mind if you’re building a fire in a poorly ventilated cave.

• Some additional tips: Avoid oak trees. Their wood takes an unusually long time to season. The larger the piece of wood, the longer it will take to dry out, which is why you’ll want to fill your firewood stash with thin branches instead of huge logs.