PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGY FOR Juniperus comitana Mart. and J. deppeana var. gamboana (Mart.) R. P. Adams

Abstract

A loss of more than half of the original territory and floristic impoverishment of the forests of Central Chiapas has been estimated for the last 35 years. At a national scope, scientific research has been made in regard to most conifer species, but few integrate enough knowledge as to be used as a reference for their management and conservation. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Mexico has classified Juniperus comitana and J. deppeana var. gamboana as vulnerable species; they are endemic and the most Northern of the American Continent. They are useful for the restoration of forest and degraded-soils and, additionally, provide raw material to the rural people who harvest and commericalize them as boards, beams, fence-posts, firewood and use it to make handicrafts, furniture, doors, windows and wainscot. Therefore, and for the extinction threaten they face, some studies in regard to ecological, biological and reproductive aspects were carried out, which generated a support that includes the minimal information to plan management and preservation of their natural populations, as well as plant production for forest restoration. The actual results made it posible to determine the present natural distribution, the most effective methods for the collection production estimation and management of seeds, as well as their quality analysis and plant propagation at the nursery.