Comparative study of fuelwood consumption by villagers and seasonal 'Dhaba owners' in the tourist affected regions of Garhwal Himalaya, India

The rural inhabitants of the Himalayan region have been exploiting forest resources for their livelihood for generations. The excessive and uncontrolled use of firewood for domestic purposes has ended up with severe deforestation. Therefore, quantification, assessment and restoration of such valuable but exhaustible resources and is imperative their scientific management. The estimates reflect that a total of 88 species are consumed as fuelwood (54 trees and 34 shrubs) by the local people. Fuelwood consumption by 'dhaba' (roadside refreshment establishments) owners (90-120 kg/household/day) was much higher over the common villagers (20-22 kg/household/day). The fuelwood is mainly burnt for cooking, water heating, space heating and lighting, etc. Among these, cooking consumes the fuelwood most. In addition, fuelwood demand increases due to influx of tourists. In the near future, this may also affect the status of the undisturbed forests at the middle elevation. The information in this communication could be utilized for developing various conservation and sustainable strategies in the region to mitigate the impact of forest resource for fodder and fuelwood.