Use of native trees in urban green areas: trends in northeastern Mexico

Abstract

Urban trees mainly include species of introduced origin, although the use of native trees is increasingly common both in Mexico and in other regions of the world. The main objective of this study was to document the use of tree species in urban green areas in northeastern Mexico. Specifically, the following questions were raised: Are there changes in the use of species? What is the reason for these changes? What is the future trend in the use of species? In order to answer them, articles in web search engines were reviewed: ISI Web of Knowledge, EBSCO, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar. The results indicated that there were changes in the use of species. Three periods were identified: the first, from 1850 to 1980, when introduced species such as Fraxinus americana and Ligustrum lucidium were mainly used; from 1980 to 2000, when the use of native species such as Quercus fusiformis began; and from 2000 to the present, where the use of native species produced in local nurseries such as Ebenopsis ebano became established. The aspects that triggered these changes were the experiences with frosts, the generation of evidence by academics, the establishment of nurserymen in the region, and the creation and management of the Mexican Association of Arboriculture. The future trend in the use of species to reforest green urban areas is to preserve the native ones.