Smoky fires contribute to breaches of air quality

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Winter has officially begun which means more people will be stoking up the fire to keep warm.

Smoke from wood burners adds to smog and that is not good for anyone's health “especially for our tamariki and pakeke, or anyone with underlying health conditions”, Gisborne District Council stated in a Facebook post.

On Saturday, the GDC recorded the city's first exceedance of the air-quality standards. A second exceedance happened yesterday.

GDC measures and monitors air quality under the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Air Quality) Regulations, and the council is required to notify any breaches of those standards.

The monitoring equipment that measures particulate matter (PM10) levels is located at Gisborne Boys' High School.

The National Environmental Standard for PM10 concentration for a 24-hour average is 50µg/m3. On Saturday the air quality reached 54.8µg/m3 and yesterday the air quality reached 55µg/m3.

GDC has some tips to get your fire off to a good start and reduce the amount of smoke from your chimney.

Use plenty of crumpled paper or a fire starter block and dry kindling. Keep all the air vents wide open on your wood burner.

Start with small pieces of wood and gradually add bigger bits as the fire builds up. Don't be tempted to put large logs on too soon, thinking it will get warm faster — it will just produce more smoke.

The ideal size for good burning firewood is a thickness of about 10-15cm. That will keep the fire ticking over and produce good warmth while keeping the smoke down.

Leave the air vents on your wood burner open overnight. This will give out more heat rather than letting the fire smoulder. It will keep your home warmer and it generates less smoke.

• For more tips and to monitor air quality, check the website