Deforestation for firewood and the resultant rapid soil erosion, particularly in the highlands, are serious problems. Forest cover has fallen from 40% in 1900 to only 2% today. Shortage of wood means that dung is increasingly being used for fuel. Its fertilizer value is put at $123 million a year, enough to increase annual grain harvests by up to 1.5 million tons. Local projects include terracing hillsides to prevent soil and water runoff û 22,320 miles of terraces were built in Tigray in 1992.
