Firewood availability in Puna???

[jackson]

I wouldn't worry too much about firewood. It is plentiful. I cut my own invasive trees and split the logs. Guava of course would not have to be split, but it's not the best firewood either. Duraflame is like a toy fire and the wax is bad for your chimney.

[Carey]

Albizia (chinesis) is used in many Pacific natIons for fuel wood, but is not the best of the woods available here, and does not store well on the east side, as it is a very short fiber wood that disintegrates rapidly. USDA S. Pac. fuel wood page:
http://www.winrock.org/fnrm/factnet/FACT.../AIS9.html

[Frankie Stapleton]

I've had a fireplace in Nanawale (lower Puna) for 18 years now and have never had a shortage of firewood. The best wood locally is ohia (cut into smaller sizes when felling the tree as it is the hardest wood in the world when cured) and guava (not the strawberry guava, the common). Guava wood burns so hot, so clean, leaves the smallest amount of white ash.

I don't burn the pines, albesia, etc. as I have 10 feet of chimney in the living room (freestanding Scandinavian style ceramic) and there aren't lots of chimney sweeps here.

[heyyou]

Thread jack alert

Quote: "and there aren't lots of chimney sweeps here."

That is a work opportunity for someone who already has the ladders and a vehicle to haul them, likely someone who already works as a roofer. Is there a chimney sweep in Volcano? The tools are not overly expensive but will have to be shipped. The handles are just light pipes (PVC or conduit) which can be obtained locally.

The expense is in the injury insurance and vehicle with a rack for transporting the ladders. Hire someone who is licensed and insured to be on your roof, to avoid being sued by his/her health insurance carrier after the injury.

Chimney cleaning is not usually an urgently needed service. The service provider could schedule the appointments in clusters to be fuel efficient if the provider was honest with the customers about the reason for waiting for a few weeks, not just showing up on Hawaiian time. Perhaps have two prices, one for right now and one for being patient, calling the latter one the family rate.

Plan B is to order the specific size brush for your chimney and do it yourself. Wear high traction, snugly laced footwear, not your slippahs. Falling off of the roof is optional.

Learning to maintain the stovepipe is just part of owning a wood burning stove, same as house, car, and boat maintenance. Perhaps a few wood burning homeowners together could share the costs owning or renting the ladder and the cleaning tools.

Plan C is to convince the tool rental company to stock the equipment.