The Other Kind of Wood Smoke

At the time of writing this (Jan 2020) there is still plenty of summer to pass, and when you read this during the cool of winter, spare a thought for those recovering from the devastation of the bush fires experienced this past summer. Yes we have bush fires every year, furthermore exaggerated by recent drought conditions, yet never before have we as a nation had to endure such widespread, simultaneous destruction, and severity.

So far bushfires have ripped through approximately 5 million hectares of land across Australia, leaving only what many described as an apocalyptic feeling behind. If climate change is making drought, heatwaves and bushfires bigger and more frequent, the horrific events of this past summer could become a regular occurrence. We acknowledge the firefighters, the strength of human spirit, pure heartache and tragedy.

But what about the air quality? Wood heating gets targeted for contribution to poor air quality, at a scale. At one point reports say Canberra’s air pollution was the highest it’s ever been, with clouds of smoke blanketing the area in only a matter of hours.

The air quality index reading, a measure of 2.5 micros sized particles in the air, in the ACT's southern station at Monash was 4,650 — more than 23 times the hazardous level of 200. (ABC News, 2020) The worst days during winter rarely ever exceed the 200 level.

But the pollution didn’t stop there with the haze traveling 2,000km appearing over areas of New Zealand, as pictured below.

As a business we at SmartBurn are very proud of the contribution that we make towards the reduction of smoke emissions from domestic wood heating, and the public health benefit that this achieves.

It is with gratitude that our SmartBurn business, like many people, has been in a position to make a substantial financial donation to the Volunteer Fire Services within Australia.