Temporal disparity of native timber production in Paraíba, Brazil

Introduction: Native Forest resources, mainly in the Brazilian caatinga biome, are important for the subsistence of the rural population as well as for the local red ceramic and gypsum industry.Objective: To study the municipal disparity in the gross value of production of native timber products in Paraíba, Brazil.Materials and methods: Data on the gross value of production (GVP) of forest products (firewood, charcoal and roundwood) of the municipalities of Paraíba, Brazil, from 1994 to 2017 were used. This information is available from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Location indicators (location and redistribution coefficients) and specialization indicators (specialization and restructuring coefficients) were used.Results and discussion: Firewood was the main timber product in the municipalities of Paraíba and there was a substitution effect between firewood and charcoal; the latter showed the best state redistribution and roundwood the lowest municipal production. The greatest specialization occurred in the municipality of Baía da Traição, represented by the exclusive production of charcoal. The municipalities of Tacima, Salgado de São Félix and Itapororoca showed greater restructuring, resulting from the change from charcoal to firewood production.Conclusions: Firewood is the most important product in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. This study becomes an important source of information for the use of this resource.