The following summarizes key findings of the PAGE study regarding the conditions and trends in woodfuel use, as well as the quality and availability of data. Conditions and trends About 1.8 billion cubic meters of wood are burned directly as fuel each year, equivalent to over half the total roundwood harvest. Production and consumption are concentrated in low-income countries. Woodfuels account for about 15 percent on average of primary energy supply in developing countries and up to 80 percent of total energy in some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In the industrialized countries, burning of industrial wood residues, as well as wood harvested directly for fuel, means that between 30 and 50 percent of total wood removed from forests is ultimately used for energy, but wood contributes only about 3 percent of total energy supply throughout the OECD region.
Forests appear to supply only about one third of woodfuels.
The balance is obtained from other sources, including woodlands, roadsides, backyards, community woodlots, and wood industry residues. Shortages of woodfuel exist at the local level but, at the global level, forecasts of scarcity have probably been exaggerated. Poor data mean that the likelihood of a future woodfuel crisis cannot be accurately assessed. Scarcity hotspots appear concentrated in areas of high population density, low tree cover, and low income. Information status and needs Data on woodfuel production and consumption in most developing countries are limited, unreliable, and largely dependent on modeled estimates.