Background:

Firewood is the main energy resource for rural people in many communities in Mexico. In Morelos, 6.2 % of private dwellings use this resource for cooking and the low deciduous forest is the main ecosystem from which they obtain it.

Questions and Hypotheses:

What is the consumption of firewood in the dwellings of a peasant community and what factors influence the rates of use?

Study site and dates:

El Zoquital Community, Municipality of Amacuzac, Morelos. January-December 2021.

Methods:

Semi-structured interviews were applied to 33 family units to document the species used as fuel. In addition, the consumption of firewood in six households was evaluated through direct measurement. With the data obtained, statistical analyzes were applied (ANOVA, ANCOVA, χ2, Haberman's adjusted residuals and LDA) to evaluate the factors that influence the rates of use.

Results:

Twenty-three species were identified as firewood. The total annual consumption in the six family units was 13,338.1 kg and was affected by age and the number of members. There are significant differences in firewood consumption throughout the year and between seasonality (rainy vs. dry). The availability and consumption by species were different in the traditional productive units (milpa, paddock, patio and forest) due to the diversity of productive activities among family units.

Conclusions:

The use of dendroenergetic resources in the southwest of Morelos is the product of causal factors determined by the availability of the species and the composition of each family.

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