1 Forestist 2022: XX(X): 1-8 Cite this article as: Wiafe, E.D., Adu Bonah, K., & Boakye, M., K. (2022). Cultural importance and preference for fuel attributes of fuelwood: A case of the guinea Savanna region. Forestist, December 12, 2022. DOI:10.5152/forestist. 2022.22050. Corresponding Author: Maxwell Kwame Boakye e-mail: mboakye@htu.edu.gh Received: August 3, 2022 Accepted: September 4, 2022 Publication Date: December 12, 2022 Original Article Cultural Importance and Preference for Fuel Attributes of Fuelwood: A Case of the Guinea Savanna Region Edward Debrah Wiafe 1 , Kwabena Adu Bonah 2 , Maxwell Kwame Boakye 3 1 School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, P.M.B. Somanya, Ghana 2 Forest Services Division, Navrongo Forest District, Navrongo, Ghana 3 Department of Environmental Science, Ho Technical University, Ho, Ghana ABSTRACT In Ghana’s Guinea savanna ecological zone, fuelwood is the primary source of energy for cooking and heating, but not much is known about the cultural importance of woody species as fuelwood. This study aimed to identify the plant species used as fuelwood and determine their cultural importance in Navrongo Forest District. Totally 246 households that rely on fuelwood as their primary energy source for heating and cooking were selected and interviewed using the free listing technique. The cultural importance index and relative importance index were used to determine the most culturally important species for fuelwood and preferences based on fuel attributes. A total of 32 plant species were identifed to be used for fuelwood purposes; Anogeissus leiocarpa was identifed to have the highest cultural importance index. The relative importance index revealed that Khaya senegalensis and Vitellaria paradoxa were the most import- ant species based on their fuel attributes. Four species of conservation and economic importance (Khaya senegalensis, Parkia biglobosa, Pterocarpus erinaceus, and Vitellaria paradoxa) were identifed as having high cultural importance and relative importance index for fuelwood purposes. It is recommended that species of conservation and economic impor- tance should be evaluated due to the potential impact of their use as fuelwood on biodiversity and local economic development. Keywords: Anogeissus leiocarpa, Ghana, Navrongo Introduction Woodfuel originating directly or indirectly from woody biomass is the primary source of energy for most households. It is estimated that about 2.4 billion people worldwide depend on woodfuel as their primary source of energy for heating and cooking (FAO, 2017). In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is the main source of energy for cooking for over 60% of households (CIFOR, 2021; FAO, 2017). Woodfuel is the most utilized primary source of energy in Ghana and the main fuel for the majority of small-scale industrial processing activi- ties including fsh smoking, gari, and pottery making as well as traditional eatery enterprises such as chop bars and street food vendors (Ghana Energy Commission, 2006; Obiri et al., 2015; Tropenbos International, 2021). Fuelwood or frewood is the most dominant type of woodfuel used in Ghana, accounting for over 70% of woody biomass utilization for cooking and heating purposes (Ghana Energy Commission, 2006). According to Sahoo et al. (2014), not all tree species have the same qualities and are equally selected for fuelwood purposes. The choice of harvesting and selecting woody plant species for fuelwood purposes is linked to several criteria which may difer from the species due to diferent constituent properties (Cardoso et al., 2015). One criterion infuencing woody selection for fuelwood purposes is their fuel attributes or characteristics. The density and burning duration, heating value, ease of fammability, smoke production, and moisture content are some of the attributes that have been identifed to infuence the use of woody species for fuel purposes (Amoah et al., 2019; Cardoso et al., 2015; Korang et al., 2015; Sahoo et al., 2014). While community scoring per species for fuel attributes has been used to determine the cultural importance and the overall preference of species for fuelwood purposes (Miah & Islam, 2020; Sahoo et al., 2014), this is yet to be applied in Ghana. However, it is essential to understand the basis of local people's preference for par- ticular species to develop management strategies and ensure their long term of the most preferred fuelwood DOI:10.5152/forestist.2022.22050 Content of this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence.