I find mine in ponderosa pine, but I've also located it in the stumps of Douglas-Fir trees. Its interesting how different trees in different climate make fatwood with very disparate smells and textures. I always carry a small zip-lock back with birch-bark (a superb tinder), 3-5 finger-sized pieces of fatwood, and a candle. As for cotton, I keep some in my PSK and elsewhere.


As for fatwood prep... I find its best to place your knife edge perpendicular to the wood and scrap in one direction. This generates a fine fluff that readily catches with even a small spark. This technique works if the wood is wet or dry.

Seriously, I get really sad when I see people in my area (where there are conifers everywhere) buying commercial fire starters. Such a waste of money and resources. I understand though if you live in a big city where you can't harvest your own.