The Charcoal Project

Charcoal market

Is it time to certify charcoal exports?

Posted on by charcoalproject

Some 1.35 million tonnes of charcoal worth about $400 million USD were sold and shipped around the world in 2007.

This means that somewhere, 5.4 million tons of wood where chopped down to make charcoal for export. With the exception of one seller in our research who described his product as coming from a “wild native” forest, none of the other traders indicated the source of their raw material.

The timber industry, retailers, and consumers have embraced certification schemes (FSC, SFI) for timber and finished wood products.

Isn’t it time we considered something similar for the international trade in wood charcoal? Continue reading→

Uganda will need to import firewood in 2020

Posted on by charcoalproject

A report by Uganda’s Ministry of Water and the Environment says the country will need to import firewood in 2020 if current rates of deforestation and fuelwood consumption are not abated. Quoting the report, Uganda’s Monitor newspaper says that”with 91 per cent of the total energy used being derived from biomass, which includes firewood and charcoal. The Ministry warns that, the pressure on forests and woodlands could easily wipe out the country’s capacity to provide the resource.” “At the present rate of deforestation, it is predicted that Uganda is likely to be importing fuel wood by 2020,” says the report, Continue reading→