Charcoal production has been widespread in the past and is still common where
poor societies and dry forests coexist. For the Dry Chaco in South America, one
of the largest remaining dry forests of the world, we describe the geographical
distribution, type of production systems, environmental and social context and
output of charcoal based on remote sensing (charcoal kiln detection); together
with existing environmental (forest cover/biomass), social (population density,
poverty), and infrastructure (roads) data. While most of the region has low kiln
densities (< 1 kiln every 1000 km2), foci of higher production were found in the
north of Santiago del Estero and the west of Chaco provinces (> 1 kiln every 5
km2). Individual or small groups (up to three units) prevail over the regions
(58.2% of all kilns sites), frequently associated with a forest land cover. Large
groups of kilns (≥ 12 units, 15.5% of all kilns) were associated with land cleared
for cultivation. For a subset of kiln sites for which forest biomass data was
available, we found that typical kiln sites (1-3 kilns) had half of the average
biomass of the region within a radius of 125 m. Although charcoal production in
the whole region has been stable for 50 years, a strong redistribution from
richer to poorer provinces has taken place. At the county level, kiln density and
charcoal production records showed a linear association that suggests an
average output of 11 tons of charcoal per year per kiln. Comparing counties
with high vs. low charcoal production with similarly high forest cover, the first
had higher population density and poverty levels. Today small scale charcoal
production by poor rural people represents the only significant use of forests
products that provides some market incentive for their preservation. However
this situation is associated with marginal social conditions, inefficient production,
and forest degradation. Developing charcoal production under environmentally
and socially virtuous conditions should be seen as a unique opportunity and an
urgent challenge in the face of the fast deforestation of dry forests
