It is my belief that firewood is the one and only true renewable source of energy.

Any person with enough land, regardless of soil types, can grow trees suitable for building materials, furniture, windbreaks and ultimately firewood.

Our wood burning stove is used mainly in the cooler to cold months and its benefits are three fold. Our stove is used for cooking/baking, heating the house and it also boosts the solar hot water service on the cooler days.

A large percentage of the wood we use is recycled from shipping pallets which would normally have ended up as landfill at the local rubbish tip. I get the pallets for nothing from retail outlets that have no further use for them and break them up as time and energy levels permit.

The best of the hardwood timber is used to make nest boxes for native fauna or other DIY projects.

Because we have no rubbish collection I take what unrecyclable rubbish we have to the tip about four times a year. While at the tip I scavenge for any suitable wood that can be used as fire wood.

In 2007 we will plant trees to be used as firewood. Most of the trees we will plant will be Sugar Gums (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) and there is a possibility that other varieties suitable for firewood but slower maturing will also be planted.