Conservation of forest based on a fuelwood substitute as well as considering the cultural and spiritual values: an optimal fuelwood harvest model

Abstract

Excessive fuelwood harvest is a major cause of deforestation in the developing countries. To mitigate this, various preventive measures have been introduced in different countries. Availability of affordable substitute to the community dependent on the forest for domestic energy consumption may prevent further forest degradation. A stock dependent optimal control model of fuelwood harvest from a natural forest is presented here and comparative statics has been used to show that the presence of a fuelwood substitute will reduce its harvest and increase the forest stock. The model indicates that availability of cheaper and high energy content alternative for fuelwood can substantially reduce fuelwood extraction from a forest. Also, a lower discount rate and higher cultural and spiritual values (CSV) will keep the optimal forest stock close to its carrying capacity and reduce fuelwood harvest. The model reveals that the maximum sustainable yield of forest stock and the ratio of energy content per unit mass of fuel play a central role in the fate of forest stock and level of fuelwood harvest. Empirical example of the Southeast Asian forest growth model along with Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) as substitute has been used to illustrate the results. The outcomes of this study can incorporated into forest conservation polices.