Te Pai o te Hau Takiwā
We need to improve Masterton’s air during winter. Wood burning is a great way to keep our homes warm, but it’s also the biggest culprit for smog in winter.
If we all burn better and reduce the amount of smoke we put into the air, we can breathe easier. Better burning means more heat from your fire with less smoke. It’s important to make sure your woodburner is efficient, and your wood is dry and untreated. Air quality is measured by World Health Organisation (WHO) who allow no more than three “high pollution” days a year where PM2.5 levels are above a certain level.
In 2019 the Masterton area exceeded the WHO guideline on 40 days. Since monitoring started in 2011 the number of high pollution days per year has been reducing, although the actual number of high pollution days can vary over years depending on the weather.
Masterton needs everyone to adopt better wood burning techniques so that we’ve got clean air to breathe during winter.
Here are the main tips:
- Have your chimney cleaned before each winter
- Make sure wood is dry, and untreated, you can check your wood moisture level using our Home Health Assessment Kit
- Your fire burns bright and hot so it doesn’t produce smoke
- Don’t shut the fire damper (air vent) down overnight
We want Masterton to have healthy, clean air to breathe. You can learn more about burning better on the Greater Wellington Regional Council website and by watching the video below.
