Wood Fuel Producers’ Insight on the Environmental Effects of Their Activities in Ghana

ABSTRACT Drawing on a qualitative approach, this paper examines wood fuel producers’ insight on the environmental effects of their activities in the forest area of the Kintampo North Municipality. Tape-recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically based on manual analysis. Results indicated that wood fuel producers have no option than to engage in the activities of charcoal production and fuelwood collection due to absolute poverty, unemployment, and the need for energy for cooking and heating. However, producers of wood fuel do not establish their plantations for wood fuel extraction; rather depend on the natural forest for their extraction. This resulted in environmental effects including deforestation, forest degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Since the current state of wood fuel extraction presents dire environmental consequences to the forest resources, we recommend Forestry Commission and the Municipal Assembly initiate tree planting exercises to make wood fuel a sustainable energy in Ghana. Poverty reduction programs such as Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) targeted at supporting inhabitants who want to engage in other forms of livelihood activities including shear butter processing to alleviate them from absolute poverty are strongly recommended. This will help reduce their over-dependence on the forest resources for survival.