Assessment of the Environmental Consequences of Charcoal Production in Zamfara State

This study assesses the environmental consequences of charcoal production in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria, focusing on deforestation, soil degradation, and air quality impacts from carbonisation kilns. Charcoal is the dominant household energy source for millions of Nigerians, and Zamfara State is a significant charcoal production zone supplying northern urban markets. However, the environmental cost of production, particularly on the state's already fragile Sahel-zone woodland, has not been adequately quantified. Remote sensing using Landsat imagery from 2015 and 2022 was used to map woodland cover change in three Local Government Areas with documented charcoal production concentration: Bungudu, Maradun, and Bakura. Field surveys at twenty charcoal production sites assessed kiln type, wood species used, production volume estimates, and area of woodland cleared per kiln cycle. Air quality measurements recorded PM2.5 and carbon monoxide near active kilns during carbonisation. Soil quality assessments compared bare soil pH and organic carbon in kiln-cleared areas with woodland reference sites. Results show woodland cover declined by 24 percent in the three assessed Local Government Areas over seven years. Producers report clearing an average of 0.4 hectares of woodland per kiln cycle with no replanting. Soil organic carbon in kiln-cleared areas is 48 percent lower than woodland reference sites. PM2.5 concentrations near active kilns reach 680 micrograms per cubic metre during peak carbonisation periods. The study concludes that charcoal production in Zamfara represents an unsustainable woodland management crisis. Recommendations include subsidised LPG promotion as a charcoal alternative and community-managed woodland replanting schemes. Keywords: charcoal production, deforestation, woodland degradation, Zamfara State, biomass energy.