Studies have been undertaken in many parts of the world to evaluate the qualities of fuelwood, but rarely is this information associated with an examination of the preferences of the local populations. As such, the present study sought to address the question of whether local preferences for fuelwoods can be explained by the physical characteristics of the wood itself. To that end, the residents of 102 domiciles in a rural community in NE Brazil were interviewed and a list was compiled of all the plants used and preferred for domestic use. These woods were subsequently analyzed to determine their density, water content, and Fuel Value Index (FVI). Although a total of 67 species were identified by the residents, only 14 were described as being preferred-due to their great number of desirable attributes for cooking. The density, humidity, and FVI of 38 species used and/or preferred were determined. A significant relationship (p<0.05) was noted between plants with the highest FVIs and the most preferred fuelwood plants in the region, indicating that local preference could be explained by the physical properties that were examined. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.