Timber forestry and tree diversity at six ejidos in Quintana Roo

Abstract

Timber forestry in southern Mexico is a common practice since Mayan civilization, through traditional uses, forest concessions and up to communal land tenure. Currently, half of Quintana Roo ´s ejidos are focused on timber forestry use, mainly on middle evergreen subtropical forests, the greatest kind of vegetation cover. This aim of this study was to determine forestry diversity in 14 forests in the south of Yucatán Peninsula with different age, management and conservation practices: six forestry sites in Quintana Roo and eight in other places. 10 plots of 500 m² per site were analyzed, in which the tree species were taxonomically identified and the diameter at height was measured in specimens from 7.5 cm to 1.30 m above the ground. A richness of 156 tree species with relative abundance, dominance and importance was determined, contrasting between sites. A similarity analysis was carried out for the 14 sites by the Bray Curtis method, which was made up of three groups: the first by site of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve without use, the second by six sites without use, from 7 to 50 years old and the third by six forest ejidos. The richness, abundance and similarity between them are probably associated with the geographical location and the age of recovery from anthropogenic and natural disturbances. It is suggested to incorporate these ecological characteristics as indicators in the forest use plans, limited environmentally and socioeconomically.