By lumping together charcoal and firewood consumption to determine the threats to forests from widespread use of woodfuel energy
in sub-Sahara African, studies have greatly underestimated the individual impact of charcoal. Where high consumption levels are
coupled with poor forest management and negligible regulation of the charcoal trade, the threat of an impending crisis caused by
charcoal alone needs to be revisited. This study uses a survey of 244 households in six Tanzanian cities to determine whether current
consumption levels, charcoal production techniques and forest management practices are sufficient to meet present and future charcoal
demand. Projections to year 2100 were made to determine whether forests can continue to meet future demand under 24 scenarios that
capture the numerous uncertainties that exist of converting charcoal consumption into forest needed. The findings suggest that the
scenarios containing median consumption levels, low kiln efficiencies and low replenishment of harvested forests could deplete forests on
public land by 2028. Best-case scenarios occurred when the opposite conditions existed. The study concludes that charcoal consumption
is a real threat to the long-term persistence of forests in Tanzania and proposes policy interventions for alleviating forest loss.