Firewood, Landscape, and Culture: Strategies of Collection and Use Among Settlers and Guaranies in the Argentine Atlantic Forest

This ethnobotanical study, conducted in rural settler and Guarani populations sharing similar environments within the Yabotí Biosphere Reserve's area of influence in Misiones, Argentina, analyzes and compares local firewood utilization practices and the landscape associated with these practices. We surveyed the general characteristics of the managed landscapes, categorized the observed environments according to management intensity, identified firewood collection environments, and measured the distance of these environments from the peridomestic space. Furthermore, we compared the strategies employed for firewood selection and the acquisition methods. Using ethnobotanical techniques and statistical analysis, we identified relationships between ecological and sociocultural variables and groupings of firewood species with their ecological attributes. The results show that both groups shape the landscape through productive activities, primarily agriculture, and manage resources differently based on their cultural characteristics, socioeconomic profile, and energy needs. Differences were found in collection strategies and environments. Settlers cut green, native, and exotic species into more distant locations, while the Guaranies collect fallen, dry, native species near their homes. Settlers use mechanical tools to extract large-sized species, while the Guaranies employ manual tools for cutting and gathering. Resource and environment management are guided by cultural requirements and specific decisions to control resource availability. The study highlights the importance of understanding traditional practices for the sustainable management of woody resources.