How can accidental forest fires occur so frequently when lighting a small fire of dead, dried wood can be so difficult?

Question

How can accidental forest fires occur so frequently when lighting a small fire of dead, dried wood can be so difficult?

In: Other

Answer 1

The wood is different.

The biological anti-freeze (terpine) that lets evergreen pines stay green even in the snow without their needles freezing also makes the plants extremely flammable.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatwood

Growing up in an area with these plants, I never knew starting a fire *could* be hard because pine needles are so incredibly flammable. All you need is a pile of them, and a spark, and a little breath and you’ve got a roaring pinewood bonfire in minutes.