EVOLUTION AND CONCENTRATION OF THE PRODUCTION OF FIREWOOD AND CHARCOAL FROM FORESTRY IN BRAZIL

ABSTRACT

The use of firewood and charcoal produced from forest plantations has presented growth trends in the Brazilian energy matrix. These renewable energy sources have been the focus of studies and public policies aimed at restructuring of production chains for the supply of demand. The aim of this study was to analyze market dynamics of firewood and charcoal of forestry in Brazil, considering the evolution of production and prices, the concentration of production and its geographical location in the municipalities and in Brazilian states. It was used as a base data, production and value of the production hall, obtained by the Brazilian Institute of geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the Extraction Vegetal and Forestry Research (PEVS), considering the period between 2001 and 2011. The growth rate of production, Lorenz Curve, Gini index and the spatial distribution maps of production of firewood and charcoal in Brazil were the analysis tools used. The main results show a concentration of the production of firewood in the three states of southern Brazil and charcoal in Minas Gerais state. The rise in prices indicates that the demand is not being sufficiently supplied, especially in the states where the production is still incipient.

Keywords:
energy forests; charcoal; firewood; forest production center