Charcoal in Rural Northeast Thailand: Rapid Rural Appraisal of a Wood -Based, Small-Scale Enterprise

This report examines small-scale, unlicensed charcoal production and distribution in Northeast Thailand. It is based largely on information obtained from individuals and households through RRA exercises, including semi -structured interviewing, observation and direct measurement (methods are discussed in Appendix A). Charcoal production and distribution are examined using a resource systems approach, dividing the process into steps: acquisition of wood (Ch. 3), transformation into charcoal (Ch. 4), and distribution and use in rural (Ch. 5) and urban (Ch. 6) areas. Major charcoal entrepreneurs are described in Chapter 2. Chapter 7 summarises findings and presents general conclusions and recommendations. These focus on forestry development projects to provide sustainable management of wood resources by villagers through the promotion of income generating activities. An appendix provides a historical account of changing production and resource patterns in the areas based on interviews with villagers.