An evaluation of fuelwood properties of some Aravally mountain tree and shrub species of Western India

The study analyses the fuelwood characteristics of 26 trees including shrub species from the dry deciduous forest in Aravally region, Rajasthan, Western India was carried out to explore trees with potential for fuelwood production. Fuelwood value index (FVI) based on the properties of calorific value, wood density and ash. Calorific value was ranged between 18.54 ± 0.04 and 27.44 ± 0.09 KJ g⁻¹ in Jatropha curcus and Wrightia tinctoria respectively. Wood density varied from 0.538 ± 0.01 to 0.966 ± 0.07 g/cm³ in J. curcus and Acacia nilotica. Same way ash and moisture content was highest in J. curcus (3.38 ± 0.19%) and Sterculia urens (70.28 ± 7.52%) and lowest in Miliusa tomentosa (0.85 ± 0.06%) and Azadirachta indica (30.7 ± 10.02%) respectively. On the basis, of the 26 species analyzed, M. tomentosa has the highest FVI, followed by Lannea coromandelica, Acacia leucophloea, Madhuca indica, A. nilotica, W. tinctoria, Butea monosperma, Zizyphus nummularia, S. urens, Boswellia serrata, A. indica, Grewia tenax, Syzygium cuminii, Tectona grandis and Dalbergia sissoo were shown to have promising fuelwood production.