Collecting wood

[Rich & Chit]

I Know you can't collect wood from National Parks etc but does anyone know about taking wood from the road side. Just driving a short distance in the hills you seen loads of good firewood lying in the verges. We don't have a wood burner in the house only use if for camp/outdoor fires so we're not talking loads. Anybody shed any light?

[Guest The Dimmocks]

We are trying to find this question out too. Husband said someone at his work has a permit which allows them to collect wood from areas owned by council. He looked on our local council site and cant find anything about it.

[sidestep]

If it's just the odd lump of wood lying there then why not just take them? Australians are good at recycling anything and everything so you'll just be following the national trend.

[Rich & Chit]

Have been in touch with our council, they didn't mention permits (but then i didn't specifically ask them) but they say the odd bit shouldn't matter. Nothing official though but at least they didn't say it was illegal. Question is does the council own all the verges or does the highway authorities own some? the plot thickens!

[Guest Guest5035]

you'll be right mate, if you get asked, just act plain old dumb, nothing will happen..

 

stevo

[wizzywozza]

I'm pretty sure it's a big NO ............ The EPA recommends that you buy wood from a reputable firewood merchant, and do not collect wood from roadsides or illegally from national parks and reserves. Reputable merchants can be found by contacting the Firewood Association of

Australia

 

 

It destroys the ecology of the verges if removed

Edited July 6, 2012 by wizzywozza

[Rich & Chit]

I read that on the EPA website as well, but it doesn't actually say it's illegal to collect from the road side. I realise removing big bits of dead timber (including dead trees) is detrimental to the local ecology, many species of birds rely on hollow dead trees for nesting sites but the road verge ecosystem wouldn't suffer much if smaller bits were taken.

[spanners]

You can call Forestry SA, they have an office in Williamstown, and ask for the wood collection permit. There is a reason the wood is free - its old felled pine so its soft wood and can be very sappy. Australian wood burners are designed to burn hard wood whereas the same model burner sold in NZ is designed to burn just soft wood. Burning soft wood in a hard wood burner apparently damages the burner. I would have thought, although its just an assumption, that if you mixed the wood maybe 75% / 25% the burner would be OK.

[coolerking]

Found this:

http://www.ahc.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Woodsmoke_Article_2009.pdf

 

Cooler

[Guest jove]

who would of known burning some wood was such a exact science. Thanks for the great link!

[Guest Helchops]

Soft wood tends to smoke more no? How much is wood for the indoor burners?

[Guest Guest5035]

$375 a tonne, or look on Gumtree.

 

Stevo

[Guest Guest75]

Soft wood tends to smoke more no? How much is wood for the indoor burners?

 

 

Soft wood is useless for the slow combustion fires here.

 

It burns far too quickly so only good for kindling really.

 

A good chunk of seasoned red gum will last all night on the fire if you shut it right down.

 

Pine wood tends to "creosote" the flue as well and will reduce flow and eventually become a fire hazard.