What kind of wood?

[catt]

Ok so we have a woodburner and just need some advice on which wood to buy to burn on it? Looking for longest lasting but with plenty of heat release. Realise its cheaper to get it now and also to get it dried out before winter actually arrives..........help!!!!!!

[Arwen]

Hi Catt

We have found that either Macrocarpa or Manuka wood burns really well, and both give out a slow and steady release of heat.

My hubby has just added that Douglas Fir is good too, along with Gum (although Gum is a little difficult to get started, but it lasts a long time).

We usually get a mix of Pine (to get the fire going), Macrocarpa and Manuka.

Hope this helps.

[simoragn]

I have no idea about wood, but contacted 'Wholesale Firewood Supplies' to get my order in, and they advised:

The correct wood choice for an open fire is Split Pine and Gum - Pine is a soft wood which will aid in starting the fire and getting the base hot for the Gum which is a hard wood. Gum is slow burning and will allow for a longer burn time.

You could also try Douglas-Fir and Gum mix - the Douglas-Fir is from the family of Pine however has a longer burn time and is also cleaner burning. Very easy to start.

[IanW99]

Check out Firewood / Woodburning tips thread.

Ian

[catt]

Thanks Ian ...........great thread

[TJH]

Also, be aware when you burn soft woods like pine and douglas fir they usually result in more creosote buildup in your chimney. This can result in chimney fires if you are not careful and clean your chimney regularly. This especially true if you burn your wood slowly to maximize burn time.

When we lived in Alaska, we heated with wood and burned a LOT. We would burn 10 cords or 36 cubic meters ever winter to heat our small 55 square meter cabin. The only type of wood available was spruce, which is very similar to pine and fir. We had to clean our chimney about ever 3 weeks or risk a chimney fire.

I have not heard about this being a problem in NZ, but in Alaska there were many houses burned to the ground after a chimney fire each winter.