燃料是生活中重要物資，燃料的取得與利用也是生活史、經濟史及環境史的重要研究題材。本文分析清代臺灣的燃料利用形態、燃料消費市場，並據以論述燃料產業的發展脈絡。從本文的探討可知，清代臺灣使用的燃料主要有四種：作物秸桿、柴薪、木炭、煤炭等。農業人口多以作物秸桿為燃料，非農業人口則以柴薪和木炭為主要燃料，後者的消費需求構成清代臺灣主要的燃料商品市場。分析每人平均然要消費量，若全以柴薪計算，在同治、光緒年間，每人每年約消耗0.9-1.0公噸的木柴燃料。因清中葉已降人口增多、消費市場擴大，天然林木卻逐漸減少，導致燃料資源價值提升。由其清末時因烘焙茶葉所需，木炭的用量迅速增加，栽植、經營相思樹林遂成為新興高利潤產業。燃料產業乃從原來是窮人生業、冒險家致富事業，疑躍而成資本家的殖產新樂園，中北部富商地主紛紛投入造林活動，開啟臺灣能源產業資本主義化的新趨勢。

As fuel is an important material in daily life, its acquirement and utilization is thus a significant subject of research in life history, economic history as well as in environmental history. This paper first examines how fuel was consumed and traded in Qing Taiwan, and then traces the development of the wood-for-fuel industry. Four major types of fuel, namely straw, timber, charcoal and coal, were used in Qing Tai- wan. Among them, straw was used mainly by people engaged in agricultural produc- tion. With the rest of the population using timber and charcoal, the consumption demand for timber and charcoal thus constituted the main market of fuel in Qing Taiwan. During the reigns of Emperors Tongzhi () and Guangxu ), the con- sumption of timber per capita was around 0.9-1.0 ton. Since the mid-Qing Dynasty, increase in population led to further growth in the market of fuel. However, decrease in natural forests caused the price of fuel to soar. In particular, towards the end of Qing Dynasty, the demand of fuel increased rapidly because of the growing need for roasting tea leaves. Under such circumstances, the planting and sale of Taiwan acacia, an alternative source of fuel, emerged as a new industry, which promised significant profits. Consequently, the wood-for-fuel transfor- med from a necessity of the poor into a business for opportunists, and finally became a new venture for colonial capitalists. Many rich businessmen and landlords in central and northern Taiwan joined the afforestation industry, and such development initiat- ed a new trend toward capitalization of the fuel industry in Taiwan.

燃料;燃料產業;相思樹;木炭;木材;煤

fuel; fuel industry; Taiwan acacia; charcoal; timber; coal