Estimation of fuel wood consumption and its negative impact on surrounding vegetation: A case study of Baffa town, Mansehra, Pakistan

摘要

Fuel wood has a great socio economic value in rural areas of Pakistan. In present research project fuel wood consumption in Baffa town of western Himalayan region was estimated by market survey and its effects on the surrounding vegetation were studied by field survey. In market survey 18 sales points of the study area were targeted. Market based data was collected from the sales point account record. As price, quantity and type of fuel wood were entered carefully in account registers by sales persons. More data was obtained by questionnaires regarding utility of fuel wood as domestic or commercial and trends for last three year, preference of fuel wood type and increase or decrease of a particular type of fuel wood species. Fire wood species commercially exploited were observed in their natural habitats and relevant ethnobotanical information was gathered from locals as well. During survey, 18 different sale points were investigated and 22 fuel wood species were recorded. Maximum fuel wood species were noted in Baffa Doraha sale point. University road 3 sale points show maximum quantity (30000 Munds) of fuel wood sold annually. According to this survey Acacia modesta was the most preferred plant species for fuel wood secondly Morus nigra and third was Olea ferruginea. The use of Brossonetia species has decreased for the last three years while the use of several other plant species increased like Populus ciliata, Melia azadarch and Morus nigra. The most preferred fire plant species (Acacia modesta) was found disappearing alarmingly in the natural habitat. Extraction of fuel wood species impacts the surrounding vegetation of the study area negatively and altering the vegetation structure adversely.