Study on consumption of fuel wood and its impacts to forest resources in Taungyi District

Chaw Chaw Sein, Zaw Min Aye, B

Abstract

In Taungyi District, Shan State wood-fuel remains the main energy source for the majority of the people. Though more than half of the total land area of the country is covered by forests, the forest cover is generally very sparse in the densely populated areas where rapid rates of forest degradation and depletion have occurred due to the heavy demand on forest products, including wood-fuel, and other causes associated with population pressure. The result is an acute fuelwood scarcity problem. This study reviews fuelwood consumption according to the increasing population pressure in the Taungyi District. The necessary data was collected by Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) and Focus Group Discussion with households of the villages and quarters in the study area. The data was analyzed using statistical tools. This study reports the dependency on forests for fuelwood is 60% and consumption of agricultural waste is 4%. The urban household consumption of charcoal is (1.3) tons in the Taungyi District and average rural household consumption of fuelwood is (2.67) tons per year.