Amid the intersection of various uncertainties and dangers, including global warming caused by fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal, and gas, and radioactive contamination resulting from nuclear power plant accidents, biomass energy from firewood is now undergoing a reconsideration. Through the process of photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen. Moreover, young trees, which grow faster, absorb more CO2, a greenhouse gas. This means that the repeated cycle of logging and planting is effective for the reduction of CO2. The CO2 produced by burning firewood is the CO2 that was absorbed from the atmosphere when the tree was growing. In other words, the CO2 absorbed by the trees is broken down and stored as carbon, that carbon is burned, producing CO2, and that CO2 is once again absorbed and stored by the trees. The burning of firewood is a carbon neutral activity, in that it does not substantively increase the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Japan’s forests can be broadly divided into planted forests and natural forests. Planted forests have been grown by human hands primarily for the purpose of producing timber. Almost all of these forests are softwood varieties, such as Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress. AGNI was created as a way to make use of the wood from the thinning of these forests as energy in wood stoves and to contribute to forest development. The use of softwoods such as Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress has commonly been avoided in wood stoves because they are said to burn out too quickly and they burn too hot, causing damage to the stove and flue.
AGNI has responded to these problems with the combination of AGNI Bell Cast (thick-walled inner box construction), which we have cultivated over many years, and our proprietary AGNI Efficient Burning system, realizing clean, complete combustion of softwoods. Softwoods can now be burned with peace of mind as a valuable type of firewood.