Verve sits around the campfire with Carlos Ter Huurne, owner of Ignition Firewood.
Can you share some benefits of using firewood for cooking and heating?
I think there’s something primal about burning wood – our ancestors have been doing it since the beginning of time. It adds a certain flavour to the food – which varies with wood type and cooking technique – that’s just not possible when using gas or an oven.
Could you describe the process of preparing the firewood at Ignition?
It’s a lengthy process which starts with the logs being stacked sometimes for up to 18 months to dry out. After the wood is cut and split on the production line, we typically kiln-dry our products to ensure a consistent moisture content. Once the wood is down to an acceptable moisture level, we tip it in one of our many sheds. The average number of times we pick up our wood before it is sold is eight, so there’s a lot of handling involved.
Are there any specific occasions where your firewood products are particularly popular?
There are quite a few: offset barbecues, hangis, and outdoor pizzerias, as well as umus and good old campfires. Although, the bulk of our products go to houses for heating.
Has the demand for firewood for outdoor living spaces evolved over the years?
In the 12 years I’ve been doing firewood, cooking with wood has gained an almost a cult-like following. We have adapted by offering products to better suit this market – our pōhutukawa and oak are favourites.
What do you think is the impact of your firewood on fostering an outdoor community?
Being a father of two, I think anything that gets kids off screens and into the backyard is a win. In our backyard we have a wood-fired spa and an open fire pit for Argentinian-style cooking, and it’s great involving the kids in these activities.
What role does sustainability and low-waste play in your business?
What a lot of people don’t realise is our business is basically recycling. We’re taking a product – logs – which in many cases people had no use for and turning it into a product which has a use – heat/warmth. Worldwide biomass provides 13% of our energy needs and firewood is another type of biomass. Our goal is to utilise all parts of the logs hence we grind up our waste and sell that as mulch. A lot of our sawdust goes to local farmers for animal bedding.
Any new products we should keep an eye out for?
We have a new product dropping very soon, ‘BBQ wood chunks’, ideal for offset barbecues, smokers, or charcoal barbecues. It will be available with shipping nationwide.
How can Kiwis get the best out of firewood coming into summer?
Summer is the best time to buy your firewood – we currently have spring specials with up to 35% off. The benefit of buying wood now is you can buy it wet and dry it out yourself. When you buy in winter you have no choice but to buy dry wood. We have both dry, ready-to-burn wood, and wet unseasoned wood. But I’d only recommend buying unseasoned wood if you have a suitable area to store it to dry out.
