Impact of Charcoal Production on Physical and Chemical Properties of Soil in the Central Gonja District of the Northern Region, Ghana

Abstract

Charcoal production, is one of the major drivers of land-cover change in Ghana. The trade has in recent time increased in the Central Gonja District of northern Ghana known to be one of the major food baskets of the country. This study assessed the impact of charcoal production on soil properties in the Central Gonja District of Ghana. Composite and core samples (60 samples) from ten (10) randomly selected sites were taken from 0-30 and 30-60 cm depths at the charcoal production site (CPS) and its adjacent field soils, which served as the control (CS). The samples were analyzed for soil texture, exchangeable bases, organic matter, percent carbon, total nitrogen, saturated hydraulic conductivity and electrical conductivity. The results showed that charcoal production site (CPS) had significantly (p < 0.01) higher content of sand, potassium, hydraulic conductivity and electrical conductivity than the control site (CS) within 0 -30cm depth. Magnesium, calcium, sodium and percent carbon content decreased by 45.7, 2.7, 15.4 and 46.7% respectively in CPS when compared to CS within the top soil 0 -30cm. Hydraulic conductivity significantly (p < 0.01) increased from 0.5±0.3 (CS) to 1.8±1.0 h -1 (CPS), which is an increase of about 72 % in CPS due to soil heating. Soil organic matter in CPS decreases by 44% when compared with the CP site. There is a need for further research on the impact of charcoal production on soil nutrient, hydrology and crop production.

Socio-economic Impact of Traditional Technology of Charcoal Production in Kpaai District-Bong County Liberia

“…According to Tunde et al, 2013, at each stage of charcoal there are impacts on both the environment and human health. This also support findings of Oguntade et al, 2008;and Wahbu et al, 2015, the authors emphasized the impact of charcoal production on human health, soil minerals and depletion of the ozone layer.…”

Effect of charcoal production and woodland type on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in drylands of southern Mozambique

“…what would produce the aggregation of those particles to form sand-sized particles, thus leading to a different structured soil (Oguntunde 2008;Wahabu et al 2015). Our findings could be explained by the lower content of clay and silt in these soils.…”

“…When assessing the impact of charcoal production on forest and woodlands, most studies in SSA focus on the impacts on forest degradation (e.g. Kalaba et al 2014;Ndegwa et al 2016;Sedano et al 2016) and soil properties (Ogondunde et al 2008;Ogondunde et al 2011;Wahabu et al 2015). Due to the strong relationship observed between TN and SOC, this study highlights the importance of considering both SOC and TN in these assessments, since we found that charcoal production can double both SOC and TN stocks in the areas where charcoal production occurs (charcoal kilns).…”

“…However, the highest impacts of charcoal production on the soils occur locally at the kiln site, and to a lesser extent in the surrounding area of the kiln, where the wood has been harvested (Chidumayo and Gumbo 2013). Previous studies have concluded that at kiln sites, charcoal production provides higher nutrient content in the soil than in surrounding sites (Chidumayo 1994, Coomes and Miltner 2016), as well as improved soil chemical and physical properties (Chidumayo 1991;Oguntunde et al 2008;Ogundele et al 2011;Wahabu et al 2015;Coomes and Miltner 2016) because of the presence of charcoal fines particles in the kiln soil (Chidumayo and Gumbo 2013). However, the changes in SOC and TN as result of charcoal production remains largely unquantified and poorly understood, and this is especially true in the context of semi-arid woodlands in Mozambique.…”

Incorporating Ecohydrological Processes Into an Analysis of Charcoal-Livestock Production Systems in the Tropics: An Alternative Interpretation of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

“…After vegetation regrowth, infiltration capacity may recover rapidly and surpass that of pre-burn levels. Studies conducted specifically on the impact of charcoal kilns on soil properties often report soils under kilns to have lower bulk density, higher porosity and higher saturated conductivity (Oguntunde et al, 2008;Nigussie and Kissi, 2011;Wahabu et al, 2015). This higher conductivity contradicts the decreased infiltration (and therefore increased runoff) mentioned earlier and reported by studies on natural forest fires.…”