I grew up on a farm in Minnesota, and I remember as a child that every year in the spring we'd clean up all the dead branches, scrap wood and anything else that could burn and create a large pile within an big open area between the buildings. Around Memorial Day, we would have our first picnic with a big bonfire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows. The fire would have a couple of hours to burn down in order that we could get close enough to cook the hot dogs without roasting ourselves. We also did a great deal of camping as a family and always liked to have a big bonfire. Over time growing up and later, it always seemed that the larger the fire the higher. Once, a long time later, camping with friends near Los Angeles, one of them told me about making an Indian fire, that was only as large as essential to cook your food. I now live in Peru and in the mountain villages here the locals work with a similar type of fire for cooking. I don't usually use an open fire when I am hiking or camping, especially after hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Then we didn't have enough time to sit around a campfire, and in many areas through the dry summer, open fires weren't allowed. Many of us used homemade alcohol stoves which are lightweight, cleaner and quicker. I have used one for nearly a decade, from sea level up to 18,000', all the time of the year. However it is hard to get good methanol here in the village where I live, I normally have to get it in the city of Arequipa, which is about nine hours away. I do have a small homemade wood burning stove, much like a Sierra Zip Stove, that i use sometimes, nonetheless it takes four AA batteries to perform the fan. On my last two backpacking trips, I was out of alcohol and didn't have any batteries charged, so made a decision to just use a wood fire. Previously, easily did make a fire, I usually put the sticks in a teepee shape, which I guess I must have learned in Cub Scouts. This is fine for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows but it doesn't work good to be able to cook with a pan, therefore i decided to use the Peruvian stick fire. There are two main advantages with this particular type of fire, first it takes less wood, and second, you don't need to slice the wood to short lengths. https://townandcountryfiresyorkshire.co.uk/best-wood-burners-yorkshire/ is actually the way that I have found works best. Use three stones, it's best if two of them are rectangular shaped, and are about five inches high and eight or more inches long. Lay these hand and hand, with the straightest sides facing each other, and close enough together to aid your cooking pot. If the stones aren't high enough, seek out the dirt between them in order that it creates more depth for the fire. Place the 3rd stone at one end of both parallel stones to form a partial windbreak, but leave about an inch of space between the stones to permit some airflow. Another end is left available to feed the fire, as well as to permit the wood or branches to stand out. You don't have to cut or break them to short lengths, they might be four or five feet long, even though longer they're the more awkward it really is to adjust them. I take advantage of a light 1 1/2 quart pan, and usually just heat water or make simple meals like mac and cheese or soups. For this, small sticks of one to two inches in diameter are fine. When you are cooking for more people or using a larger pot, you should use a tiny bit larger sticks. To start the fire, place two of the sticks side by side, with just a little space between them, and the 3rd stick on top of both, with kindling under and around them as needed to get them burning. It is advisable to place the top stick at a bit of an angle to permit better airflow under it. You can even start the fire with just kindling wood and then put the three sticks in the fire to get them burning. Once the three sticks are burning, just keep pushing them into the fire as needed to keep them burning. A small fire like this requires a little more tending when compared to a larger fire, nonetheless it is easy to help keep it burning if you watch it. If the flame does go out, a bit more kindling and some puffs will usually obtain it going again. I've seen many housewives here use a tube or small pipe to blow on the fire, but this is not something most people would take backpacking. There are a number of advantages to a little fire like this. First it uses a lot less wood, conserving resources. It also means you don't have to spend just as much time gathering wood, especially if it is in short supply. Another advantage is that the fire may be used for cooking right away, it doesn't need to burn down so that you could get close to it just like a large fire. Here there is usually sufficient wood along the rivers, except close to the villages, but very few trees up on the mountains, unless there is irrigation. On the arid mountains and high plains, the fan stove works better, since it will burn small sticks and twigs from the tiny bushes that grow there. Please follow all local and state fire regulations whenever using an open fire, especially in wilderness areas. Also be careful not to bump the ends of the sticks which are protruding of the fire, it is just a good way to knock over whatever you are cooking!
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