Kayu bakar (firewood)

There are 400 tree species and 60 commercial timber species for export and domestic commodities. Wood has variety of specific density between 0.4 and 0.6. So far commercial timber is dominated by meranti wood (Shorea leptocladus sym.). Statistically, forest timber production as export commodity reached 41 millions tons and domestic up to 19 millions tons (2001).  In comparison, production of rice straw in similar year approached 71 millions tons and increased up to 97 tons within next decade. Cultivated forest areas are distributed over 12.8 millions hectares. Big part of them located in Kalimantan island covers 10.76 millions hectares.

In the other side, rural people need pieces of wood and small branch of wood as firewood. Since long time ago, it may be one of traditional energy sources for cooking. Nowadays around 14% of world energy supplies are fulfilled by biomass fuel. The rural and poor people use this biomass fuel for cooking.

Fig. Firewood

(Courtesy of Wordpress, 2012)

The disadvantages of this biomass fuel are smoke tendency and require more space of kitchen. Suburban people who live in limited space area are difficult to utilize firewood for cooking. Kerosene stove serves many people for last decades. However availability of this fuel has been phased out by government and substituted by liquefied petroleum gas. This gas is available in container of 3 kg or 12 kg for household application. This gas burns clearly than kerosene.