Informative Speech: Bushcraft

Introduction

If I were to drop you into the middle of the woods today, with nothing on you but the clothes on your back and the contents of your pockets, how long would you last? If your answer is “not long”, don’t fret, because learning the art of bushcraft can save your life. After researching and interviewing true bushcrafters for tips and tricks, I learned the art of bushcraft is to coexist with and utilize plants, animals, and the natural landscape. Technical knowledge of bushcraft can come in handy in several emergency situations. Maybe you get shipwrecked on a deserted island, or you commit a crime and go on the run, hiding out in the woods. Maybe you go camping and get lost in the woods. Maybe the idea of living off the land appeals to you and you forgo civilization for sweet earth. In any situation where you have to take shelter outdoors, bushcrafting comes in handy. 

Tools

Bushcraft involves using only natural elements to build shelter, create tools, and gather food and water. The most important tool in the wilderness is a sharp blade, because you use it to make other tools and build shelter. If you always carry a pocket knife on you, you might do okay. But if you forget your switchblade on the day of the alien invasion, a piece of stone can be forged into a hand blade by sharpening it at a 25 degree angle on another rock. You can also sharpen animal bones into blades, nails for shelter, and as fishing hooks. A knife is the gateway tool to creating many other tools, such as rope. Natural rope can be made by stripping sticks or bark into thin strands, twisting two strands together, knotting both ends. For long rope, leave leftover fibers below the knot and twist them into the next section of fibers. For strong rope, willow bark is a popular choice, but you can also use long blades of grass, reed-like plants, or stinging pine needles.  Careful with stinging pine needles because they have little stringers on the stalks, but they dissolve when the plant is dipped in water. Split a long thin branch down the middle. Separate bark from wood by slowing peeling it off. Hickory is a good type of wood for creating a bow from. 

Making a fire

We’re gonna learn how to make a fire by constructing a firestarter, and making a coal. First, you must gather twigs, branches, logs, and kindling. Kindling could be: strips of tree bark, dried leaves, pine needles, and dry grass. Always gather wood from the ground or from dead trees. Never cut a wet branch from a live tree. To construct the firestarter, you need a bowstring, a bow, a drill or spindle, handhold, fireboard, green leaf, and tinder.  First, tie each end of the string to the end of the bow. Then, wrap the string once around the drill. Adjust the tension of the bow string so that the drill does slide back and forth along the bow. It should only spin/stay in only one spot. Do not let the string come in contact with itself while wrapped around the drill. Next, Place the handhold on top of the drill and grasp firmly. Keep the drill perpendicular to the fireboard that is on the ground. Move the bow back and forth vigorously to create smoke. Cut a small wedge shaped notch through the charred area of the fireboard. This allows embers to fall through the fireboard for collection. Place a green leaf under the notch in the fireboard. When the fireboard starts to smoke again, the char dust from the first drilling should ignite an ember that will fall onto the green leaf. Transfer the ember from the leaf to a bundle of tinder. Blow on the tinder bundle until it ignites in flames. You should blow slowly, like a heartbeat, or else the tinder will go out. After the kindle has ignited, place it on the wood pile. Take care to designate an obvious space for a fire pit. Create a ring around the pit with rocks and stones. You can also dig a hole and create a grate from wet wood to place under the fire, so that oxygen can fuel the fire from underneath. There are many different types of fires you can make. A cone-shaped fire puts out a lot of light and heat, but burns quickly. A criss-cross fire is good for cooking, and burns steadily.

Shelter

First step to creating a shelter is location, location, location. The higher the ground the better, because if it rains it will naturally drain to lower ground instead of puddling around and in your shelter. Look for any natural coves that another animal has not found yet. You might get lucky and find a small cave, hollow tree, large natural canopies, or a fallen tree that can be used as structural support. To build a shelter, find the highest, driest ground you can, and collect a large pile of dead leaves and fallen tree branches. Create a floor first, by placing a pile of leaves down as natural cushioning. Then, you can construct a shelter using a few methods. You can make a sloping A-frame shelter, using a stump as a resting spot for the center pole or backbone. The stump also provides a natural door. Or you can use two y-shaped branches stuck deep in the ground that the backbone can naturally rest in and stand up on its own. You could also try the tripod method, since the pyramid is known to be the strongest structure. To create a tripod, use three long branches that are sharpened at one end so they will stake into the ground. Then, creating a cone shape by crossing and securing the tops of two long front branches with rope and placing a third branch through the middle of them. Using strong rope for this method is important, a good way to bind them is using a clove hitch. Next step is to play more branches parallel to the bare bones of the cone, to create a more solid skeleton. Then, you are going to horizontally weave branches in and out of the vertical limbs to create a mesh coat for the shelter. Finish off your burrow by adding wind and rain protection and cover it in a thick layer of brush or leaves.

Clean Water Sources

The best sources of water include fresh running water, cutting into a grapevine to create a natural tap, or seeking lowest elevation to find pools of collected rainwater, digging a pit into the ground and the pit will fill with water, dig near especially lush green areas. Always filter standing water, unless its from a running stream or tree. Natural filters include grass, sand, dirt, or cotton fabric from clothing. If you find a pocket of water in a hard to reach place, try and make a natural straw from a plant or You can soak a piece of clothing into a pocket of water and suck the water from it. Split a pure grapevine to create a natural tap. First, scrape off all the bark. Then cut into the meat of the branch and water should begin to drip. If you can get a fire going, you can pasteurize water by placing hot stones from the fire into the basket of water. You can also steralize water through solar radiation. The sun’s ultraviolent rays will disinfect and kill the water, as long as its not too cloudy. 

Conclusion

Whether it's in the event of an emergency or out of pure curiosity, I hope you all get the chance to try bushcrafting one day. Bushcraft is an amazing method of survival that opens our eyes to coexisting with and utilizing plants, animals, and our shared ecosystem. Bushcraft is an ancient art form and survival technique that can teach humans to thrive with nature again. Next time you find yourself in nature, I hope you can identify an edible plant or feel compelled to twist pieces of grass into string. I challenge you to use natural resources such as animal bones, plant fiber, or tree bark when creating your next art piece.  I challenge you to spend a weekend outdoors with only a knife, armed with new skills like how to build a shelter, collect provisions, and create tools. With bushcrafting knowledge, your life could be saved. Thank you all for listening. Any questions?