Dry, Seasoned Hard and Soft Firewood

Plantation Pine Great for Kindling One of the most common firewoods used throughout New Zealand as it comes from pine plantations and burns very cleanly. Thin compact bark.		Smooth grained wood, mostly free of knots, light coloured. Drying time (ready to burn) 1 to 2 years. Moisture content - 15 - 20%.
Douglas Fir/Oregon Great for Kindling Normally taken from plantations when 25 - 30 years old. Light smooth bark.		Has distinctive orange centre with whitish ring towards the bark. Ideal for splitting to make kindling. Very few knots & light in weight. Drying time (ready to burn) 1 to 2 years. Moisture content 15 - 20%.
Blue Gum Great for Long Burn In the hardwood category, light coloured smooth bark. When aged shows radial cracking, which indicates low moisture. Heavier than pine.		Light to dark in colour. Normally smooth grained wood with no knots. Drying time (ready to burn) 5 to 6 years. Moisture content 15 - 20%
Old Man Pine Normally cut from farm shelter belts - 40 to 50 years old, very thick heavy bark. Tends to smoke a lot when lighting & refuelling.		Medium colour, lots of knots and gum. Drying time (ready to burn) 2 to 3 years. Moisture content 15 - 20%.
Macrocarpa Medium firewood, clean burning, with good heat output and reasonably long burning time. It has a tendency to spark, & therefore is not suitable for open fires.		Brownish dark colour with knots showing and little gum. Heavier than pine. Drying time (ready to burn) 3 to 5 years. Moisture content 15 - 20%.
Kanuka The wood is very hard and is particularly popular as firewood, burning with a great heat. In New Zealand, Kanuka can grow up to 30 metres high with a trunk up to one metre across.	.	Deep brown in colour. Shows small knots. Clean grained wood. Drying time (ready to burn) 3 to 5 years. Moisture content 15 - 20%
Willow Normally grown on the side of waterways and only used when dead and still standing. In this state it becomes a light greyish colour, very thin bark. Can be washed down rivers and end up on beaches and, if found above high water line, could be used. Very light in weight.		Very light in colour. Smooth grained with no knots or gum. The cleanest of firewood to work with. Drying time (ready to burn) - as it is only used when dead, has extremely low moisture content and can be used immediately.