If a stick snaps when you break it it's dry. Just remember your building up a fire, start with all your ingredients ready and lined up from tender to large sticks. Start small feed the fire slowly so you don't smother the oxygen. Dry grass/tiny sticks/finger sized sticks/ 1" sticks. Practice this at home as much as you can. Make sure you can start a fire with a ferro rod. Learn how to take an ember and blow it into flame. These skills can save your life and once learned, arn't easily forgotten.