Firewood crops
This report does not suggest a solution to the entire firewood crisis but examines one part of the solution: the selection of species suitable for deliberate cultivation as firewood crops in developing countries. Primary emphasis is placed on species suitable for growing firewood for individual family needs. However, species suited to plantation cultivation for fueling small industrial factories, electric generators, and crop dryers are also considered. Most of the plants are little known in traditional forest production. Some are woody shrubs rather than forest trees, but even these may meet many requirements for small-scale village use. Particular attention was paid to multi-purpose plants that have uses in addition to providing fuel, plants that adapt well to different sites and require little care, plants for problem environments and plants not consumed by goats and wildlife. Special consideration was given to nitrogen-fixing ability, rapid growth, ability to coppice, ability to produce wood of high calorific value that burns without sparks or toxic smoke and ability to grow successfully in a wide range of environments. After an introduction on wood as fuel, more than 60 fuel-wood species for humid tropical, tropical highland and arid and semi-arid regions are presented. The data on existing plants cover their major attributes, description, distribution, use as fuelwood, yield, other uses, environmental requirements, establishment, pest and diseases and limitations. Appendices include technologies for improving the efficiency of fuelwood use, case studies from Ethiopia and the Republic of Korea and a master list of firewood species.
- OSTI ID:
- 5900979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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