Landcare Project

The project will:

• Review the firewood qualities of a range of species being grown for high quality timber with particularly focus on how wood density, burning properties and hydroscopic tendencies of the wood changes with age.
• Manage and monitor a road side agroforestry demonstration site illustrating the production of firewood and sawlogs from the same site.
• Establish a code of practice for the presentation (packaging and labelling) and sale of farm grown timber from agroforestry site on farms in the East Otway region.
• Produce a manual (in association with the Australian Home Heating Assoc) for landholders on the harvesting and marketing of farm grown firewood.
• Conduct a seminar and field day focusing on the production and marketing on farm grown firewood.

Linkage Project - University of New England Armidale, NSW

Many regional communities in Australia rely on wood burning as the primary source of domestic heating. Although wood heating has many benefits, with poor use can generate a substantial amount of woodsmoke. This project involves comparing the effectiveness of two interventions to reduce household woodsmoke emissions; a behaviour-change program based on the principles of community-based-social-marketing, and a “technical fix” requiring little attitudinal or behavioural change on the part of wood-burning households.

The project will provide local governments and other stakeholders with practical information for managing woodsmoke pollution in a cost-effective manner.

The Armidale Dumaresq Council, Firewood Association of Austraia, SmartBurn and the Australian Home Heating Association are all partners in this very important project.

Mount Gambier SA SmokeWatch Program

The SmokeWatch program is collaborative partnership between the Environment Protection Authority, City of Mount Gambier (South Australia), the Australian Home Heating Association and the Firewood Association of Australia.

This program aims to reduce wood smoke in Mount Gambier by encouraging householders to use their wood heaters more efficiently.
In conjunction with the program, the EPA will be locating an air quality monitoring station in Mount Gambier to gather information on wood smoke pollution in the area.

Mount Gambier SA SmokeWatch Program