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Research on “Fuelwood Consumption and Production in Alpine Bhutan: A case study of resource use and implications for conservation and management in Wangchuck Centennial Park.


Yak herder in Chajeyna, Bumthang.
Wood energy has been used since prehistoric times for cooking and heating, and remains the primary energy source for billions of people throughout the world. In Bhutan, fuelwood accounts for approximately 78% of total national energy consumption and is the primary energy source for most rural and urban residents. Despite the tremendous contemporary and historical importance of fuelwood in Bhutan, little is known about household fuelwood consumption, available fuelwood biomass or growth and yield in village collection sites. Information on fuelwood consumption and availability is critically needed in forest management and conservation efforts.
In this study I documented fuelwood consumption, standing biomass, and annual growth and yield through a case study in Nasiphel (elevation 2800 m), Bumthang District, Bhutan and an associated high elevation site (Chajeyna, 4800 m) where Nasiphel residents and others rely on fuelwood for one month each year while gathering a medicinal fungus (Cordyceps: Ophiocordyceps sinensis). I estimated total annual fuelwood consumption in both sites through weight-survey methods.
I also estimated the total standing fuelwood biomass by mapping and calculating the area from which fuelwood was harvested and by measuring the height and dbh of trees or diameter at base of shrubs in randomly established transects and sample plots in both sites. Based on the measured biomass (kg/m2) I estimated total available standing biomass in both sites by extrapolating to the total harvest area. I estimated annual growth increments of fuelwood in the two collecting areas by measuring growth rings using Measure J2X software in a random sample of fuelwood species harvested.
In case if any one finds interesting and is curious to know the result, I will post it on the blog.

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