The field research presented in this report was made possible by the co-operation of many people, including those involved in the woodfuel trade, and the women who are engaged in gathering and headloading fuelwood for self-consumption. The people with whom this research was conducted spent a large amount of time answering our questions, broadening our understanding of on-the-ground situations and discussing their problems.
The members of the households, carters, traders, saw mill owners, woodfuel depot owners, representatives of industries, contractors, transporters and the commercial woodfuel suppliers that we visited and interviewed during the course of this research, entertained us graciously. This study would not have been possible were it not for their interest and participation. In addition to these numerous role players involved in the woodfuel flow process, I would like to express my gratitude to the field researchers for their consistent, dedicated and excellent work. My special thanks are due to Mr. P.B.S. Dissanayake, Ms. Rheka Niyanthi, Mr. Thilak Bandara, Mr. A.G.S.S. Nandana and Mr. Keerthi Rajapakse for their excellent collaboration and sustained interest.
I wish to thank Mr. S.M.B. Amunugama of the Department of Geology, the University of Peradeniya for the cartography work. I also greatly appreciate the cooperation of my husband, Mr. Ranjith Wickramasinghe, who made important contributions throughout the research - from the organization of the field investigations to the preparation of the report.
Finally, I wish to acknowledge the financial and technical support provided by the Regional Wood Energy Development Programme of the FAO. I am extremely grateful for the collaboration of Dr. W. Hulscher, the Chief Technical Adviser, and Mr. Tara N. Bhattarai, the Wood Energy Resources Specialist - their numerous comments and suggestions on the field methodologies and on the draft of this report were invaluable.
Although many people were involved in conducting the field research and in gathering information from various sources, I am solely responsible for the analysis presented herein and for any errors, omissions or inconsistencies in the report.
Dr. (Mrs.) Anoja Wickramasinghe
Professor of Geography
Dept. of Geography
University of Peradeniya
Peradeniya
SRI LANKA
FUELWOOD - CUT AND READY FOR SALE (A. W.)
SPLITTING FUELWOOD TO THE DESIRED SIZE BRINGS IN AN INCOME (A. W.)
