Is fuel wood renewable energy resource? study on available biomass in forest and fuel wood consumption pattern in Lag valley Kullu
Student name: Mr Deepak Bhat Dundi
Guide: Dr P K Joshi
Year of completion: 2012
Host Organisation: Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Puneet Dwivedi
Abstract: Himalaya is one of the world’s biological hotspots. Many scientific studies have proven the
tremendous decline in Himalayan forest. Fuel wood extraction from the forest is one of the
major factors which is contributing to the degradation of these forests. In Himachal Pradesh
about 90 percentage of the total population depend on fuel wood to meet their energy needs.
This Study highlights that fuel wood demand is lesser than the fuel wood availability in the
forests of ChauparsaPanchayat, Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh. At the same time we also
found that quantity of biomass is less in the forest which is present near the villages than the
forest which are present away from the villages. To quantify the amount of biomass present in
the forest area, field based forest sampling methods are used. Total fuel wood consumption per
capita per household is estimated by Kitchen Performance Test. For Kitchen Performance Test
samples were taken on the basis of altitude of the village. Consumption fuel of wood per capita
per day increases along the altitudinal gradient during winter months. We also compared the
thermal efficiency and fuel wood burning rate of different kinds of stoves used in the study area.
The study highlighted the performance of improved tandoors are better than simple stove and
traditional tandoors
Keywords: Fuel wood consumption, Biomass estimation, Kullu, Himachal
Pradesh, Efficiency of cook stoves.
