Fuelwood Production and Carbon Sequestration in Public Urban Green Spaces in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Trees in public urban green spaces provide a variety of ecosystem goods and services that are greatly appreciated by urban residents. A commonly used good, especially in Global South regions, is that of fuelwood for household energy needs. Yet the production potential of fuelwood from public urban green spaces has rarely been examined. This study quantifies the fuelwood production and allied carbon sequestration potential of 12 public urban green spaces in Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) stratified across neighborhoods of different housing densities. We estimated tree density in the green spaces by means of line transects, and annual production through estimates of the mean annual increment of a sample of marked trees. We found that Bulawayo’s public green spaces produce 1.9 t/ha/yr of fuelwood with a value of $340 to $490/ha/yr, and that production varied across spaces and housing density neighborhoods. This production is much lower than the documented demand but it is likely to be significant for fuelwood-dependent households. In contrast, the amount (1010 ± 160 kg/ha/yr) and value (US$4.04/ha/yr) of carbon sequestration were lower. Formal public green spaces produced more fuelwood as compared to informal green spaces and no difference was evident in tree growth rates between exotic and indigenous tree species. This is one of the first studies to show the value of the fuelwood production and carbon sequestration potential of public green spaces in the region and continent and requires that they are integrated into public urban green space policies, planning, and management in the city.