After experiencing a few cool nights lately, there’s something about a wood delivery that makes me feel more secure.

It’s knowing that we have the means to keep warm should the weather suddenly turn cold, although when that’s happened in the past we’ve just put on more clothes and waited until the really cold weather before putting match to kindling. 

This delivery was four cubic metres in volume – less when stacked – and that’s about half the amount we’ll need to get through Winter. It took my partner most of the day to stack it.

It’s important to know where your firewood has come from. If your supplier tells you that it was just dead wood lying on the forest floor, that’s a real worry.

Some firewood harvesters collect dead trees and fallen timber because they burn well and produce less smoke. But that wood is also habitat for fauna and plays a vital role in the nutrient cycles of the forest. As far as biodiversity is concerned, the dead wood on the forest floor is as important as the living trees.

Currently, firewood collection from native forest on public land is recognised as a legitimate use and it’s regulated. In the Wombat State Forest, close to us, collection of firewood requires a permit from the Department of Sustainability and Environment, with designated times of year when it may be gathered.

About half of all firewood supplied in Australia is collected from local forests as well as from woodland on private property, roadsides and stock routes. In the south-east, much of this firewood is sourced from remnant forests in agricultural areas and transported across state borders.

Many people are completely unaware that there are any untoward consequences of collecting firewood on private land. They simply see it as a way of keeping their property tidy. But there can be serious impacts on wildlife populations from haphazard firewood collection. 

According to the Australian Government’s research on plantations and sustainably managed forests, through careful management the firewood industry could provide financial incentives for landholders who might otherwise have cleared native forest and woodland. The establishment of plantations for firewood could also reduce pressure on native vegetation and wildlife habitat.

A sustainable firewood industry – as a managed, renewable resource – would provide greenhouse benefits and could help ease the problem of dryland salinity. It would also generate benefits for regional economies and create jobs.

We once bought Red Gum logs but after learning that it’s a threatened species, we now order ‘commons’ – a mixture of more common varieties of eucalypts. ‘Commons’ wood doesn’t burn as hot or as long as Red Gum, but it does the job. 

If you’re new to the concept of burning wood to keep warm, it can seem quite a worrying thing to do. Not only are you seemingly engaged in the practice of destroying forests, you’re also creating carbon emissions. But that aint necessarily so.

Here are a few tips that might help:

• If possible, buy wood from a merchant who’s certified.
• Make sure your wood-heater is energy efficient.
• Have the chimney cleaned regularly.
• Reduce particle emissions from your fire by burning only well-seasoned wood. If it’s a little green, keep it for 12 months, stacked and off the ground.

And if you have a wood pile in the garden, in the Summer months beware of snakes. They’ll just love it.