The production of coal was an activity carried out by the woodcutters who, once the forest cutting season was over, piled up the recently cut wood in the "arali". The arale ("gial" in dialect) was a flat space selected so that it was sheltered from the wind and well shaded.

Once the arale was set up, it was necessary to build the "poiat": the pile of wood to be transformed into coal. Its construction began with a large trunk around which smaller and smaller logs were arranged: as the stack expanded, the thickness of the wood had to decrease. At the base of the main pole, a tunnel was left from which a bundle of thin wood was inserted which allowed the fire to be lit. It was covered with a layer of fir branches and black earth, so that the cracks were plugged and the combustion of the wood took place very slowly. Finally, the poiat was climbed up and the central post was extracted.

When night fell and in the absence of wind, the bundle was set on fire and gradually the flames had to be extinguished: water and mud were combined in a mixture which was applied to the outside of the poiat.

Every 12 hours the poiat was "feeded": when the earth sank, it had to be removed and more wood added to prevent dangerous cracks from opening.

After 6-7 days the coal began to form. For the entire cooking time (which could even last up to 19 days!) the poiat had to be supervised by at least two men, ready with buckets of water to extinguish any fire and quick to let the water flow out in case of rain.

When the stack was halved and the smoke turned bluish, the process was complete. The coal was left to cool for 3-4 days and was then placed in bags. These were transported to the valley floor by some boys called "purti" who had the "bastine" on their shoulders: cushions filled with straw and held in place by a strap that went around the forehead.

Coal dust seeped from the bags and fell on them, making them blacker than the coal itself!