Woodfuel Traps And Consumption Patterns In Salisbury's Townships

The problem of getting cheap firewood is now common is Salisbury's townships. It is getting worse each day as the removal of indigenous timber in the townships' surroundings becomes widespread. Many third world countries face a major problem of wood fuel crisis. In historic times wood fuel shortages dislodged many population centers. Shortage of wood fuel was one of the reasons for the fall of the 'Great Zimbabwe’ Kingdom in the mid-fifteenth century. The 'unnaturally large population, concentrated in one spot ... sooner or later exhausted the grazing, the fertility of the soil and timber available for building and firewood (Garlake, 1973). Beach (1930) noted that 'the people (of Great Zimbabwe) after the year 1100, had begun to make superior huts with walls made of thick daga rather than poles and daga'. The timber needed was therefore, for use mainly as firewood.