Taking into account the amount of biomass needed to produce a unit of charcoal, how will the growing demand for charcoal affect biomass
sources such as forests? Girard observes that as charcoal stoves are more efficient than wood stoves, the ratio of primary energy to
usable energy for charcoal is almost the same as fuel wood. Therefore, with “adequate management, supervision and control practices”
the growth of charcoal use does not necessarily lead to serious impact on forested areas that supply charcoal consumption centers
(Girard, Unasylva - No. 211).