02/12/2025

The trees used in charcoal production are taken from damaged trees and excess branches, so no harm comes to nature and the environment. We do not suggest cutting down beneficial green trees, and we protect the environment as much as we can. My name is Ali Ahmad. I am from Kobani (in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria) and work in the natural charcoal industry. Charcoal production requires several precise, sequential stages, from collecting tree branches and cutting them to gathering them in a pyramid shape and then reaching the production stage. First, we cover the collected wood with soil and then monitor the pile of wood from inside as it slowly burns. Then, the process is carefully monitored to ensure that the wood color changes to the known black color and breaks into small pieces in such a way that after this stage, which takes one week, the charcoal is finally ready for use. In recent years, my brothers and I learned charcoal making from one of our relatives. Now, it has become our only source of income through which we secure our daily livelihood. The charcoal is sold in markets at different prices according to quality, and for each kilogram, the price reaches approximately 10 Syrian pounds.