Spatial dynamics of firewood and charcoal production in Brazil

Abstract

Firewood and charcoal are widely used as solid fuels in thermal, mechanical, and electrical energy generation processes in Brazil. Their production comes from silviculture or extractivism. The objective of the present study is to verify whether the expansion of forestry crops, mainly of eucalyptus, has changed the structural and spatial dynamics of charcoal and firewood production in Brazil. The locational quotient was calculated based on production and gross value of primary forest production data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics from 1998 to 2017, identifying the microregions specialized in charcoal and firewood production. The spatial analysis of the activities was carried out according to the type of exploration. Data analysis suggests that the growth in charcoal and firewood production from silviculture reduced the use of raw materials coming from extractivism in Brazil. Silviculture-based charcoal production was more competitive than that coming from extractivism mainly due to the low cost of specialization in silviculture. For firewood, competitiveness was related to the balance between its demand and supply in sectors that use heat energy, mainly in the industrial sector. The dynamics of firewood and charcoal production reflect the substantial changes in public policies in the period, especially by law institutions responsible for regulating the use of forest resources. These changes increased inspection by environmental agencies encouraging sustainability in the production processes of Brazilian industries using renewable energy sources.