FIRE AND HUMIDITY 1. 50% relative humidity or less is preferred for fire-making, 65% relative humidity or above inhibits combustion. The higher the humidity the more difficult it will be to obtain fire, Some fuels which will light easily at a lower humidity will not ignite at all when the humidity is high (especially when it remains high for a long period of time). 20% relative humidity or less can make fuels explosive 2. The more the fire kit has been protected from moisture absorption the greater the chance of success on a high humidity day. 3. The greater the volume of flammable fuel the better the chance of overcoming high humidity (Note: this does not refer to wood density; the reference here is to the amount of fuel needed to dissipate moisture). Thus, the larger the coal the better the odds of lighting damp tinder, and the larger the volume of tinder the better the chance of lighting kindling with high moisture content, ete. 4, A coal extender is crucial when the humidity is high. 5. Never leave a fire kit or tinder exposed to the elements on a high humidity day. 6. Work with fire kit in sunlight rather than shade, 7. Time of day can affect fire making capabilities. Morning and night = high relative humidity. 8. High relative humidity may be responsible for “packing” fine fuels, thus restricting air flow. Moreover, the finer the fuel the more rapidly it will absorb moisture. Eastern red cedar is one such fuel which seems to be greatly affected by changes in humidity, it should be used with caution as a drill or fireboard when the relative humidity is high. 9, Movement of air masses will affect fire making success, but the effect may not be immediate (ie., Gulf Stream moisture may not greatly affect the flammability of fuels for a day or so after moving into anf area), Finer fuels will be affected first, more dense fuels, will be affected later and slower. After the humidity drops, the process will be reversed: fine fuels will dry out fastest and denser fuels will retain moisture longer. Air masses originating over water will have higher relative humidity than those originating over continents. Knowledge of clouds and weather is an important aspect of fire making, 10. Relative humidity usually increases with elevation over normal surfaces. This is because the effect of the decrease in temperature is usually greater than that of the decrease in absolute humidity. On the other hand, when nighttime cooling begins along slopes, the temperature change with height is usually reversed. Relative humidity may increase to 100% at the bottom of a slope and decrease to 10% at the top. Relative humidity, therefore, is highly variable due to altitude, temperature, and time of day. A00d fire making location at one moment can become a poor or impossible one in very hort time. And, likewise, a change from one location to another can have a drastic effect oom the success of fire making. LL. South facing slopes have less relative humidity than north facing slopes. Thus, it is better to harvest fire materials from a south slope. 12, The time of year can have a great bearing on the success of friction fire making, For instance, the South Atlantic States, in summer, are often extremely humid making fire building very difficult, However, during the winter, fire making there can be achieved ‘with much less difficulty. 13, Relative humidity will be higher on cloudy days and lower on cloudy nights. 14, Relative humidity will be high in the morning after a cool, clear night 15. Under a closed canopy, relative humidity is normally higher than in the open during, the day and lower at night. ‘The higher daytime humidities are even more pronounced when there is a green understory beneath the closed canopy. 16. Grass has a higher relative humidity than bare ground. 17. Most any area near water will have a high relative humidity.