Firewood Assessment of Georgia’s Forests
Enabling forestry reforms through data generation and awareness raising
Project Facts
Location
Georgia
Project Volume
10.000-100.000 EUR
Applied Financing Solutions
Grants
Project Dates
Start: 2016
| End: 2016
The Story
In Georgia, firewood is the main source of heating, accounting for 75-96% of all fuel used, depending on the region. According to national legislation, the government is obliged to provide firewood resources for its population. However, highly inefficient heating systems, fragmentary public forest inventories, and the massive use of the forests for social purposes over the last 30 years have put the country at risk of an environmental disaster as well as socio-economic and energy shocks.
A comprehensive Assessment of Firewood Consumption and Firewood Production Potential in Georgia, conducted by CENN in 2016, quantified the actual over-exploitation of the country’s forests and revealed a dramatic shortage in legally and sustainably cut firewood. As a consequence, forestry became a main priority on Georgia’s political agenda. A new Forest Code was elaborated (2019-2020), which abolishes the practice of “social cuts” and prevents illegal forest logging through relevant regulations and intersectoral cooperation. In particular, the construction of so-called “business yards” is planned, where firewood will be distributed by local contractors of the National Forestry Agency, including former illegal forest loggers.
Success Factor | Hero Moment
Apart from its contribution to Georgia’s new Forest Code, the CENN firewood study has pushed an issue-oriented dialogue resulting in various projects and initiatives focused on sustainable heating alternatives. In 2018 and 2019, the state program on eliminating shortage of heating resources was elaborated, which took off from mid-2020 with financial support from the Green Climate Fund. Moreover, the results of the study and the follow-up documents became part of the official Climate Action Plan of Georgia (2021-2030).
Submitter
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), Georgia
Other Involved Stakeholders
Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, National Forestry Agency
Contact Mail
environment@cenn.org
