Firewood merchant John Caulton says there has been an increase in demand for firewood due to the Covid-19 lockdown, but people should be prepared sooner. Photo / Paul Taylor
Firewood merchant John Caulton says there has been an increase in demand for firewood due to the Covid-19 lockdown, but people should be prepared sooner. Photo / Paul Taylor
Local firewood suppliers are run off their feet as the Covid-19 lockdown brings an increase in demand.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council Procurement Manager Mark Heaney said the regional council's Good Wood suppliers say they are busy delivering up to 16 loads of wood a day as essential supplies.
"Coming intothe longer and cooler nights, it's likely many of these people may not have planned ahead and are now starting to think about wood for winter," he said.
John Caulton who runs Good Wood suppliers Woodstocks and Donovan's Firewood said they were "working around the clock" to satisfy customer needs.
He said due to the Covid-19 lockdown there has been an increase in customers stocking up on firewood ahead of winter.
They have three trucks going from 7am to 7pm seven days delivering firewood to customers. This had resulted in a delay in orders and an increased number of staff to aid in the demand.
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"No one knows what's going to happen, the lockdown might extend."
Caulton said people should be prepared well in advance of winter and the best time to stock up on firewood is in the November and December months.
"Everyone should be prepared, no one is thinking at Christmas about firewood, but they should be," he said.
As the demand for firewood increases and winter nears, buying good quality wood is important.
Caulton warned people against using suppliers selling on the side of the road and suppliers not part of the regional council's approved Good Wood merchants as having seasoned dry wood is important to ensure the fire burns hot with little smoke.
Heany said Good Wood merchants would replace or refund the price of the wood if the regional council testing service found the moisture content was over 25 per cent and the wood had been sold as dry.
"The supply of dry wood is limited, and as time goes on there is less available, and the price starts to rise, frequently leaving only wet wood left for sale by the end of winter," Heaney said.
"As firewood sales are not yet regulated, buyers need to beware and always ask if the firewood is dry, (less than 25 per cent moisture content), get a receipt which states that the wood is dry, or if it has a higher moisture content, ask when it will be suitable to burn.
"Unfortunately, for cash sales only then the chances are buyers may have little protection if the wood is not fit for purpose," he said.
With more people at home lighting their fires Hawke's Bay Regional Council Principal Air Scientist Dr Kathleen Kozyniak said there was a concern about increased pollution.
However, this was not yet a major concern but may become more of a concern if the lockdown extended into May and the winter months when fires would need to be lit all day, every day in a large number of households, she said.
Kozyniak said 87 per cent of the region's winter pollution is generated by domestic heating, but the regional council Heatsmart programme has seen a huge Hawke's Bay investment into cleaner, more efficient heat sources such as heat pumps, gas fires, pellet burners and wood burners.
This has resulted in a steady drop in air pollution in urban areas over the last decade which Kozyniak said "will make a real difference to air quality during this lockdown".
An upcoming telephone survey by the regional council of Napier, Hastings and Havelock North residents' use of heating appliances and fuel use will include questions about whether the lockdown is changing respondents' behaviours in terms of home heating.
