SHANTANA
LANDSCAPE AND BUILDING SUPPLIES
47-49 Lawson Road Springwood
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The Firewood Association of Australia was established in October 2005 to represent the Australian commercial firewood supply industry. The need for a whole of industry representative body was highlighted during the development of the government's Voluntary Code of Practice for Firewood Suppliers.

After the Code was accepted by the Natural Resources Management Ministerial Council the next step was to encourage its adoption by the firewood industry. Government policy was to encourage consumers to buy from the environmentally responsibility members of the industry who comply with the Code, and to reduce the environmental impact of unregulated self-collection and illegal harvesting. There are plenty of firewood sellers who create a negative image for the industry, by selling wet or incorrectly measured firewood, or by stocking environmentally unacceptable firewood.

To be a member of the FAA a firewood supplier must make a commitment to comply with the Code of Practice. Compliance to the Code is assessed by audit before FAA membership is granted.

The constitutional division of powers in Australia means that most legislation concerning the harvesting and sale of firewood is controlled by the individual states and their local governments. However, the federal government has an important role to play in the industry due to its administration of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and also the National Trade Measurement Regulations 2009.

This complexity of legislation covering the industry, combined with the fact that firewood is often transported across state boundaries, makes it essential that the industry representative body is national. The firewood industry faces many political, environmental and commercial challenges that affect resource access and availability, wood heater regulation, wood smoke, industry image and consumer demand. The FAA is the only organisation that is working effectively to protect and grow the firewood industry.

There is clear evidence that firewood buyers are "choosing for the environment" by seeking out sustainable firewood suppliers, so FAA membership also provides strong and immediate commercial benefits. FAA members are promoted directly to consumers through this website and through a 1300 phone number.

Even the most experienced gardeners know that one of the best weapons to have in your garden is mulch, which is why we create this amazing bi-product as often as we can. There are so many ways that mulch benefits your garden — it helps to keep weeds from coming up, helps to keep in the moisture in your soil and enriches the soil when the mulch is broken down. However, some people are scared of using mulch because they have heard certain myths, which may or may not be true. To help you understand the truth, here is a look at four common myths about mulch.

Wood Mulch Sucks Nitrogen out of the Soil

The simple answer is no, wood mulch will never remove nitrogen from your soil. However, if you laid down sawdust on your gardening bed as a form of mulch then that might tie up some nitrogen. However, regular bark mulch will never rob your plants of oxygen. In fact, the opposite is true. As it breaks down over time, wood chips will actually release nitrogen into the soil.

You Should Use Landscape Fabric with Wood Mulch
If you use any kind of stone mulch, you do need to use landscape fabric. However, it is actually the wrong choice to use it with any kind of wood mulch. Your soil benefits when the wood breaks down and releases nutrients into the soil and if you have landscape fabric underneath your wood mulch, it will prevent these nutrients from enriching the soil like they should.

Wood Mulch Will Acidify Your Soil
While it is important that your soil be the right pH, you don’t have to worry about wood mulch changing it. Some research shows that wood mulch will very slightly acidify the very top of the soil, but this slight acidification will never reach down to the roots to affect plant growth.

More Mulch Is Better
You want a three-inch layer of mulch — if you use any more than that, you will keep oxygen and moisture from getting down into the roots of your plants. Also, you don’t need to reapply mulch every year, although you can check it every spring to see if you need to top it off to get to the desired three-inch depth.

Wood chips attract termites and mice

One of the most common myths about wood mulch is that it will attract pests. That is simply untrue. While termites would eat wood mulch if it was the only way to keep from starving, there are many other readily available wood sources that are much tastier to them. Any termite that is in your yard will be much more likely to start feeding on your home than on your mulch. If you really want to deter the little critters try our termite resistant Cypress Pine.

Many a lawn owner will compare the price of instant lawn to that of seed when choosing what to line their garden with. Seed is certainly cheaper, but it does require a great deal of patience, skill and luck with the weather to get a perfect lawn from. Nonetheless, with price such a factor in home landscaping decisions, the following question inevitably pops up:

“Can I grow Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo turf from seed?”

The simple answer to this question is no, you cannot. But this isn’t some arbitrary rule that lawn suppliers have made up in order to make you spend more. The truth is that the turf suppliers can’t grow Sir Walter from seed either. There are a few reasons for this, which we’ll go through now.

Warm season grass growth

To begin with, it’s important to understand that most warm season grasses, such as Sir Walter, primarily grow through spreading. This is when stolons and rhizomes (creeping stems) reach out from the grass into new territory, instead of releasing seeds to grow in distant pastures. Cool season grasses, on the other hand, don’t spread through these stems, but do release seeds.

Sir Walter’s DNA

While Sir Walter does produce a seed, it is male and sterile. This is as much a part of the grass’s genetics as its incredible drought resistance, its beauty and its ease of maintenance. The only way to grow Sir Walter is to allow it to spread over an area from an initial cutting.

The issue of overseeding

Many lawn veterans might then ask ‘what if I need to overseed the bare patches in my lawn?’ In truth, bare patches rarely – if ever – occur in Sir Walter. And if they do, it’s just a matter of getting the grass healthy again, at which point it will spread back over the bare area and bring it to life again.

So, in summary: No, you can’t buy Sir Walter from seed; it must be purchased as an instant lawn solution. But this does ensure that you’ll get a terrific patch of turf that you’ll be able to enjoy straight away and for decades to come

When shopping for goods and services, today’s consumer researches almost everything they buy. From cars to caravans, hotels and hairdressers there isn’t too much we wont scrutinise prior to purchase. So why we wont don’t do this for firewood? Here at Shantana Landscape Supplies we have gathered the most important questions to ask before you purchase your next load of firewood.

Knowing How Much You Are Buying
It is NSW law that firewood is to be sold by the stacked cubic metre and not loose. This ensures that consumers can be confident of the quantity they are buying. If you’re purchasing from backyard sellers with trailer loads or piles of wood, often you are simply paying for empty space as the wood is stacked incorrectly to give the impression of value.

Firewood Moisture Content

We all know that burning green wood isn’t the best idea, but did you know that just because the wood looks seasoned doesn’t always make it so. Here at Shantana, we ensure that our timber is seasoned to a maximum moisture content of 25%, ideally even less than this as we aim for 20% moisture content. This means better, hotter burning wood resulting in less soot and a cleaner fireplace.

Know What You’re Buying

As you know, not all firewood burns at the same rate or at the same temperature. This means that when purchasing mixed hardwood for your fireplace, the end product can really be a mixed bag. At Shantana our wood is seasoned correctly and you will always know what you are purchasing. Often is a private seller is $5 – $10 less per cubic metre it could possibly mean that you are buying wood that burns faster and may not be suited to your fireplace.

Ask The Questions

When in the market for you’re next load of firewood simply ask the questions; What’s the moisture content? Is that cube a stacked cube or is it loose? Where is the wood sourced from and what species are in the wood? Ultimately being more informed will only benefit you. You will be purchasing better quality timber for your home. You will burn more efficiently which will ultimately cost you less in the long term.

SHANTANA
LANDSCAPE AND BUILDING SUPPLIES
4751 3977
Monday7:00 AM — 4:00 PM
Tuesday7:00 AM — 4:00 PM
Wednesday7:00 AM — 4:00 PM
Thursday7:00 AM — 4:00 PM
Friday7:00 AM — 4:00 PM
Saturday7:00 AM — 3:00 PM
SundayClosed
We are closed on all NSW Public holidays.
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