Screening of Tree Species for Fuelwood Production in Merhabete District, Ethiopia

Background: The source of energy at household level in Ethiopia mostly comes from wood biomass. The increasing population and shrinkage of natural forests has resulted in shortage of supply of wood trees for energy. Hence, looking for fast-growing trees with better fuelwood characteristics is required to access wood for the supply of fuelwood consumption. Objective: To select tree species with better biomass and good fuelwood characteristics. Material and Methods: Seven tree species: Acacia polyacantha, Acacia abyssinica, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Albizia lophantha, Acacia melanoxylon, Acacia decurrens, and Eucalyptus globulus were selected to study the growth performance, biomass and fuelwood characteristics. Six trees per species were randomly selected and harvested for fuelwood property (wood moisture, ash content and fiber content) analysis. Results: Acacia abyssinica, Acacia polyacantha, and Eucalyptus camaldunesis showed higher survival rate than other species. The improved height performance was recorded for Acacia decurrens, Acacia polyacantha, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, and Eucalyptus globulus Acacia polyacantha and Acacia decurrens provided the highest biomass. Acacia decurrens showed the lowest wood moisture (31.1%) and wood density (0.76 g/cm3), and the lowest ash content (2.2%). Acacia polyacantha showed high biomass yield per tree at the age of seven years. .Acacia abyssinica, Acacia polyacantha and Eucalyptus camaldulensis had shown better survival rate with more than 75%. The highest density was recorded in Acacia decurrens (0.76 g/cm3) and lowest density observed in the rest of tree species. The lowest ash content was recorded in Acacia decurrens (2.2%). The lowest lignin and cellulose content was measured in Acacia abyssinica and the highest lignin content was measured in Eucalyptus globulus. Conclusion: This study revealed that tree species were different in terms of biomass yield and fuelwood property. Acacia polyacantha showed high biomass yield per tree at the age of seven years. Acacia abyssinica, Acacia polyacantha and Eucalyptus camaldulensis showed better survival rates. The highest density was recorded for Acacia decurrens and the lowest density was observed for the rest of tree species. The lowest ash content was recorded for Acacia decurrens. The lowest lignin and cellulose content were measured for Acacia abyssinica and the highest lignin content was measured for Eucalyptus globulus. The results imply that Acacia decurrens and Acacia polyacantha are superior to other species in terms of providing fuelwood due to high density, low moisture content, low ash content, and good biomass production.