What's good to burn?

Not all firewood is equal. Dry wood gives off more heat and less smoke, keeping your home warm and our air clean.

Why should I burn dry wood?

Dry firewood is cleaner to burn and causes less smoke and air pollution, with fewer associated health problems. It also gives off more heat, keeping you and your home warm for longer and overtime, saving you money.

How do I know if my firewood is dry?

To know that your firewood is dry, look out for cracks in the ends or knock two pieces together, if it sounds hollow it’s probably seasoned and dry enough to burn. You can also check if it’s dry enough to burn well by putting a small piece of wood on glowing embers in your wood burner. If the top and sides catch fire in less than a minute, it’s good to burn.

How should I store my firewood?

Even if your firewood is dry, storing it well will keep it that way. Here’s how:

• • Split large bits of wood into pieces no more than 10-15cm thick.
  • Remove bark or stack the wood with the bark at the bottom, so the moisture can evaporate. Bark slows down the drying process.
  • Stack the wood in a covered, well-ventilated area with a roof or tarpaulin.
  • The length of time for it to dry depends on the type of wood and how wet it is. Softwoods, like pine and macrocarpa, normally take 6-12 months. Hardwoods like gum can take up to 18 months. 

     

Where can I source dry firewood?

Our region has several wood suppliers who are committed to providing dry, seasoned wood to our communities.

South Waikato

• • • Tokoroa Firewood Ltd
      0508 FOR WOOD or 0508 367 9663
    • Balmoral Firewood Supplies
      07 886 7550
    • South Waikato Achievement Centre
      07 886 8941
    • Tokoroa City Lions Facebook

What shouldn't I burn?

Besides wet wood, there are other materials that are dangerous to burn in your home fire as they can give off toxic substances, causing harm to your and other’s health as well as our environment.

• • • Treated wood
    • Painted wood
    • Plywood particleboard MDF
    • Driftwood
    • Rubbish – plastics, disposable nappies, magazines, wrappers and boxes

What are the risks from burning wet wood or other materials?

The smoke from burning wet wood contains harmful particles, not visible to the human eye and small enough to get into our lungs which could cause health problems.

It’s the same if you burn treated or painted wood, plywood, MDF, particleboard and driftwood. These materials give off toxic substances when they burn and can cause harm to your health and that of others.