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Commonwealth
Forests | | |
 SUMMARY
1.
The consumption of fuelwood in Commonwealth countries, at nearly 600,000 m3/year, is
74% greater than the consumption of roundwood – whereas the global figures for roundwood
and fuelwood consumption are nearly the same. Another comparison of Commonwealth and
global figures is that while the Commonwealth roundwood consumption is one fifth of the global
total, fuelwood consumption is one third. Or again, the consumption per head of fuelwood in
the Commonwealth is nearly twice that of roundwood, but the consumption of fuelwood per
head in African Commonwealth countries is nearly five times.
The trends suggest that fuelwood use in Commonwealth developing countries will remain
steady or may even increase, while in developed Commonwealth countries it will grow strongly,
albeit from a much lower base.
The continuing importance of fuelwood shows clearly the need to develop sustainable supplies
in Commonwealth countries, especially in dry areas where there are limited areas of natural
forest. It also highlights the importance of policy interventions and technical developments to
encourage sustainable fuelwood use. Such sustainable use not only gives zero carbon
emissions but contributes to human health by thorough cooking of food and boiling of water.
2.
Statistics. Given the important, but often unquantified, contribution of employment as
well as fuelwood and non-wood forest products to the rural economy, especially but not only,
in developing countries, Governments must develop and maintain systems for the collection of
reliable, current, data.
3.
Valuing and marketing the intangible benefits. Given the contributions that forest goods
and services make to the economy, to environmental and cultural values – especially to
climate change amelioration – there is an urgent need to develop methods for valuing them if
they are to be provided for in national policies and planning, and if markets for them are to grow.
4.
All Commonwealth countries are important consumers of processed wood products;
Canada dominates the production of roundwood and processed wood products, but some other
Commonwealth countries are major producers also, and others, such as India and Malaysia,
will become more important. Consumers of wood products are becoming aware of
environmental issues and are increasingly demanding proof, through certification, that they are
sourced from sustainably managed supplies (the growth of forest areas managed under various
certification schemes is discussed in Chapter 2).
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