Estimating bark volumes for 16 native tree species on the Sierra Madre Occidental,Mexico

Abstract

The Sierra Madre Occidental ecoregion accommodates some of the richest biodiversity anywhere in North America and contains about two-thirds of the standing timber biomass in Mexico. Worldwide forest trees provide an industrial output of about 363 million cubic meters, with the volume of bark accounting for an estimated 10% of total tree volume, so that bark is a very important nonwoody product. In this study, the proportion of bark volume (PBV) and its correlation with selected tree characteristics as well as the relationship between total tree volume and wood volume (WV) and total volume and bark volume (BV) were calculated for the first time for the 16 common and commercially most important tree species in the temperate pine-oak forest region of El Salto (Durango) on the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico. Measurements were made on 2,027 felled trees. The PBV in the species investigated ranges from 0.129 to 0.260 depending on the species and genus, with a mean value of 0.175. BV and WV can be accurately estimated. The approach used in this study is simple and effective, and very user-friendly. The method is recommended for researchers wishing to develop bark models for other tree species.     

Effects of density and structure on production in the communal forests of the Mexican Sierra Madre Occidental

The Sierra Madre Occidental in the Mexican State of Durango, is home to about 5 million ha of species-rich forest ecosystems. Local communities depend on these forests for their livelihood. The preservation of the species richness and productivity of this unique resource requires improved understanding of the effects of forest structure and density on production. The community structure was analysed for three species groups (all species; 12 species of Pinus; and 16 species of Quercus). Based on data gathered in 580 remeasured observational field plots, the main results of this study were as follows: (1) two distinct clusters were identified in each species group, (a) the dominant species with a smaller range of growth rates, and (b) the remaining species which have a smaller maximum size and a greater variation of growth rates. (2) Density (expressed as basal area per hectare) and the percentage contribution to the total basal area of all pine species have a significant effect on forest production (expressed as volume increment per hectare per year). (3) Potential production is surprisingly high (in excess of 20 m³ ha^?1 y^?1 for some stands) in these forests, but the high potential cannot be realised in many areas because of reduced basal areas caused by overharvesting. (4) The available evidence does not confirm the findings of a recent study that suggests a continuous increase in production with increasing richness. Our observations show that production attains a potential maximum at intermediate levels of richness (between 7 and 9 species per 0.25 ha) and declines with further increases in species richness. This study represents a comprehensive analysis of the effects of density and structure on the community forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental based on a large set of permanent field plots where all trees have been mapped.     

Acclimatation of three co-occurring tree species to water stress and their role as site indicators in mixed pine-oak forests in the Sierra Madre Oriental,Mexico

Water availability and salt excess are limiting factors in Mexican mixed pine-oak forest. In order to characterise the acclimatation of native species to these stresses, leaf water (Ψ_w) and osmotic potentials (Ψ_s) of Juniperus flaccida, Pinus pseudostrobus and Quercus canbyi were measured under natural drought and non-drought conditions under two different aspects in the Sierra Madre Oriental. Factorial ANOVA revealed significant differences in Ψ_w and Ψ_s between two aspects, species and sampling dates. In general, all species showed high predawn and low midday values that declined progressively with increasing drought and soil–water loss. Seasonal and diurnal fluctuation of Ψ_w and Ψ_s were higher for J. flaccida and Q. canbyi than for P. pseudostrobus. Leaf Ψ_w and Ψ_s were mainly correlated with soil water content, while Ψ_s of P. pseudostrobus were hardly correlated with environmental variables. Thus, species have different strategies to withstand drought. P. pseudostrobus was identified as a species with isohydric water status regulation, while J. flaccida and Q. canbyi presented water potential patterns typical for anisohydric species. The type of water status regulation may be a critical factor for plant survival and mortality in the context of climate change. Nevertheless, for precise conclusions about the advantages and disadvantages of each type, further long-term investigations are required.     

Use and conservation of forest resources in the municipality of San Agustin Loxicha,Sierra Madre del Sur,Oaxaca, Mexico

The Sierra Madre del Sur, Oaxaca is considered an area with high diversity of ecosystems, and low levels of fragmentation due to human disturbance. An indigenous people, the Zapotecs, have inhabited this area for centuries and Zapotec communities have used and continue to make use of local resources for their subsistence. Agroforestry systems provide timber, firewood, and non-timber forest products to local communities. Despite the ecological and cultural relevance of this region, basic information about local practices of management and harvesting are lacking. Little is known about the possible effects of these practices on biodiversity conservation. The objectives of this study were: to determine the local uses of forest wood resources in the municipality of San Agustín Loxicha, to determine the tree species most used by the inhabitants of this municipality and to discuss the implications of this management in the conservation of plant cover in this Priority Terrestrial Region. The reported main use of tree species was firewood, obtained by gathering dry branches and bark, as well as by felling dead trees. To a lesser extent, tree species are used to build houses and make furniture. Local people collect trees from the surrounding vegetation, so the richness and abundance of tree species in the area surrounding each community will always influence the ability of the communities to meet their needs. These practices do not have drastic effects on plant cover, mainly in areas of established forests. These traditional practices are involved in an empirical strategy to conserve and manage local resources.     

Forest structure and woody plant species composition along a fire chronosequence in mixed pine–oak forest in the Sierra Madre Oriental, Northeast Mexico

Although wildfires are occurring frequently in the pine–oak forests in the Sierra Madre Oriental (northeastern Mexico), data on post-fire succession and forest structure are still rare. Our objectives were to (1) assess the changes in woody plant species composition after fire and to (2) to relate successional patterns to environmental variability. Based on their fire history 23 plots were selected in the Parque Ecológico Chipinque (PECH). Changes in forest structure across the chronosequence of burned stands were deduced from density, height and diameter measurements of trees and shrubs (>5 cm in diameter) in all plots of 1000 m². Differences in woody plant species composition among the plots were evaluated using Shannon evenness measure and the Whittaker's measure and by Hierarchical cluster analysis and Detrended Correspondence Analysis. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed a high similarity among all recently burned plots, independed of the aspect. Multivariate analysis showed that local environmental factors, including time since fire, continue to structure species composition. Oak species (mainly Quercus rysophylla) resprouted successfully after fire and dominated young post-fire stands. Pine species (Pinus pseudotrobus and Pinus teocote) only appeared 18 years after fire and were the dominating species in mature stands (62 years after fire). In contrast, woody plant species composition in older stands tended also to be influenced by factors such as aspect and by the potential solar radiation (PSR) during the growing season. The results demonstrate that in the PECH, natural regeneration is sufficient and woody plant species composition will be similar to pre-fire conditions after 60 years of succession. We conclude that the park managers should consider incorporating natural disturbance regimes into their management practices.     

Forest Utilization in the Sierra Juarez,Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

As one of the most diverse biological regions in the seasonal tropics, Oaxaca's main management challenge is balancing sustainable forest harvesting with preserving biological diversity, especially challenging for a village community with limited resources—both economic and technical. A closer look at the history of forest management activities in Sierra Juarez shows exploitative practices by Fabricas de Papel Tuxtapec (FAPATUX), a national paper manufacturer. In 1956, FAPATUX acquired a 25 year concession to harvest the communal forests of Ixtlán. Despite the success of the communities in working with FAPATUX and influencing the management of the communal lands, the communities eventually demanded greater control over the lands and sought to prevent the continuation of the concessions. Since then, communal forest management has sought to achieve two primary goals: (1) to provide economic returns and employment, and (2) to steward the land responsibly and sustainably. Their management plan has evolved into the manipulation of standard silvicultural procedures and their integration with traditional agricultural practices. The management of the timber resources in Ixtlán will continue to be a dynamic process. Having the flexibility to respond to failures and ever-changing conditions will ensure that Ixtlán will adapt its management and silvicultural systems over time to achieve its objectives.     

Effect of human disturbance on the structure and regeneration of forests in the Nevado de Toluca National Park, Mexico

Sample plots were established in the principal forest types in the the Nevado de Toluca National Park, Mexico including those dominated by Pinus hartwegii, Abies religiosa, Quercus laurina and Alnus jorullensis. The vertical structure was defined by three strata in the coniferous forests and two strata in the broadleaved forests. Timber harvesting in Abies religiosa and Quercus laurina forests and fires generated by humans in Pinus hartwegii forests impeded the recruitment of saplings. Mature trees were also heavily impacted by logging in Pinus hartwegii forests. On the contrary, Alnus jorullensis forests were increasing due to the disturbance of Pinus and Quercus forests, as well abandoned crop lands within the park. A combination of logging, uncontrolled fire, and grazing appears to be compromising the recruitment of important tree species in this national park. These factors, together with human settlements, have also increased the proportion of early successional species. Changes in forest structure from human disturbance indicate a need to control these activities if conservation goals are not to be compromised.     

Fire history of coniferous riparian forests in the Sierra Nevada

Fire is an important ecological process in many western U.S. coniferous forests, yet high fuel loads, rural home construction and other factors have encouraged the suppression of most wildfires. Using mechanical thinning and prescribed burning, land managers often try to reduce fuels in strategic areas with the highest fuel loads. Riparian forests, however, are often designated as areas where only limited management action can take place within a fixed-width zone. These highly productive forests have developed heavy fuel loads capable of supporting stand-replacing crown fires that can alter wildlife habitat and ecosystem function, and contribute to stream channel erosion. Objectives of this study were to determine whether adjacent coniferous riparian and upland forests burned historically with different frequencies and seasonalities, and whether these relationships varied by forest, site, and stream characteristics. We measured dendrochronological fire records in adjacent riparian and upland areas across a variety of forest, site and stream conditions at 36 sites in three sampling areas in the northern Sierra Nevada.     

National assessment of the fragmentation, accessibility and anthropogenic pressure on the forests in Mexico

Forest managers and policy makers increasingly demand to have access to estimates of forest fragmentation,human accessibility to forest areas and levels of anthropogenic pressure on the remaining forests to integrate them into monitoring systems,management and conservation plans.Forest fragmentation is defined as the breaking up of a forest unit,where the number of patches and the amount of expose edge increase while the amount of core area decreases.Forest fragmentation studies in Mexico have been limited to local or regional levels and have concentrated only on specific forest types.This paper presents an assessment of the fragmentation of all forest types at the national level,their effective proximity to anthropogenic influences,and the development of an indicator of anthropogenic pressure on the forests areas.Broadleaf forests,tropical evergreen forests and tropical dry deciduous forests show the greatest fragmentation.Almost half(47%) of the tropical forests are in close effective proximity to anthropogenic influences and only 12% of their area can be considered isolated from anthropogenic influences.The values for the temperate forests are 23% and 29% respectively.Anthropogenic pressure in the immediate vicinity of anthropogenic activities is much higher in the tropical forests(75 in a scale 0-100) than in the temperate forests(30).When considering these results jointly,the tropical forests,and more specifically,the tropical evergreen forests and tropical dry deciduous forests are under the greatest pressure and risks of degradation.     

徐州市森林生物量的估算

利用森林蓄积量推算森林生物量的方法,系统研究了徐州市森林植被的生物量.徐州市森林的总生物量是1 397.81万t,其中,杨树林1 209.07万t,侧柏林52.39万t,银杏林34.04万t,杂木林46.62万t,灌木经济林44.51万t,其他灌木林11.18万t.分析了其特点,为全面核算森林生态效益提供依据.     

神农架林区生态公益林可持续研究

通过对神农架林区森林经营分类区划 ,提出生态公益林建设的措施 ,使其实现可持续发展研究 ,对该区的经济、社会和环境建设与发展 ,保护物种基因库等具有重要的现实意义     

Ecological integrity of remnant montane forests along an urban gradient in the Sierra Nevada

Urban development typically has extensive and intensive effects on native ecosystems, including vegetation communities and their associated biota. Increasingly, urban planning strives to retain elements of native ecosystems to meet multiple social and ecological objectives. The ecological integrity of native forests in an urbanizing landscape is challenged by a myriad of impacts, such as forest management and invasive species. Environmental protection efforts in the Lake Tahoe basin, spanning the California/Nevada border in the Sierra Nevada mountains, over the past half century have resulted in the retention of thousands of parcels of remnant native forest located throughout the urbanizing landscape. The basin landscape provides an opportunity to evaluate the effects of land development on the composition and structure of remnant native forests along a gradient of urbanization. We sampled 118 sites located in remnant forests in the lower montane zone surrounded by 0–70% development. We also sampled forest structure in the landscape surrounding 75 of these sites to evaluate the contribution of remnant forests to the retention of native forest elements in the larger landscape. We characterized plant species composition and cover, vertical structure, and the density of trees, snags, and logs, as well as levels of ground disturbance and human activity. We found that remnant native forests retained much of their compositional and structural character along the development gradient, including large tree density, total canopy cover, and plant species richness. Notable exceptions were reductions in the density and decay stage of snags and logs, and the density of understory trees. We also observed increases in the richness and cover of herb and grass species and increases in the number of exotic plant species. In contrast, structural complexity was reduced in the landscape surrounding forest remnants in all measures except large tree density. We conclude that remnant native forests contribute significantly to maintaining native species in an urbanizing landscape, and that land conservation practices have an important role to play in protecting native forest ecosystems.     

Long-term effects of prescribed fire on mixed conifer forest structure in the Sierra Nevada, California

The capacity of prescribed fire to restore forest conditions is often judged by changes in forest structure within a few years following burning. However, prescribed fire might have longer-term effects on forest structure, potentially changing treatment assessments. We examined annual changes in forest structure in five 1 ha old-growth plots immediately before prescribed fire and up to eight years after fire at Sequoia National Park, California. Fire-induced declines in stem density (67% average decrease at eight years post-fire) were nonlinear, taking up to eight years to reach a presumed asymptote. Declines in live stem biomass were also nonlinear, but smaller in magnitude (32% average decrease at eight years post-fire) as most large trees survived the fires. The preferential survival of large trees following fire resulted in significant shifts in stem diameter distributions. Mortality rates remained significantly above background rates up to six years after the fires. Prescribed fire did not have a large influence on the representation of dominant species. Fire-caused mortality appeared to be spatially random, and therefore did not generally alter heterogeneous tree spatial patterns. Our results suggest that prescribed fire can bring about substantial changes to forest structure in old-growth mixed conifer forests in the Sierra Nevada, but that long-term observations are needed to fully describe some measures of fire effects.     

Stand structure, fuel loads, and fire behavior in riparian and upland forests, Sierra Nevada Mountains, USA; a comparison of current and reconstructed conditions

Fire plays an important role in shaping many Sierran coniferous forests, but longer fire return intervals and reductions in area burned have altered forest conditions. Productive, mesic riparian forests can accumulate high stem densities and fuel loads, making them susceptible to high-severity fire. Fuels treatments applied to upland forests, however, are often excluded from riparian areas due to concerns about degrading streamside and aquatic habitat and water quality. Objectives of this study were to compare stand structure, fuel loads, and potential fire behavior between adjacent riparian and upland forests under current and reconstructed active-fire regime conditions. Current fuel loads, tree diameters, heights, and height to live crown were measured in 36 paired riparian and upland plots. Historic estimates of these metrics were reconstructed using equations derived from fuel accumulation rates, current tree data, and increment cores. Fire behavior variables were modeled using Forest Vegetation Simulator Fire/Fuels Extension.Riparian forests were significantly more fire prone under current than reconstructed conditions, with greater basal area (BA) (means are 87 vs. 29 m²/ha), stand density (635 vs. 208 stems/ha), snag volume (37 vs. 2 m³/ha), duff loads (69 vs. 3 Mg/ha), total fuel loads (93 vs. 28 Mg/ha), canopy bulk density (CBD) (0.12 vs. 0.04 kg/m³), surface flame length (0.6 vs. 0.4 m), crown flame length (0.9 vs. 0.4 m), probability of torching (0.45 vs. 0.03), predicted mortality (31% vs. 17% BA), and lower torching (20 vs. 176 km/h) and crowning indices (28 vs. 62 km/h). Upland forests were also significantly more fire prone under current than reconstructed conditions, yet changes in fuels and potential fire behavior were not as large. Under current conditions, riparian forests were significantly more fire prone than upland forests, with greater stand density (635 vs. 401 stems/ha), probability of torching (0.45 vs. 0.22), predicted mortality (31% vs. 16% BA), and lower quadratic mean diameter (46 vs. 55 cm), canopy base height (6.7 vs. 9.4 m), and frequency of fire tolerant species (13% vs. 36% BA). Reconstructed riparian and upland forests were not significantly different. Our reconstruction results suggest that historic fuels and forest structure may not have differed significantly between many riparian and upland forests, consistent with earlier research suggesting similar historic fire return intervals. Under current conditions, however, modeled severity is much greater in riparian forests, suggesting forest habitat and ecosystem function may be more severely impacted by wildfire than in upland forests.     

四川盆周山地5种典型林分的空间结构对比分析

【目的】研究四川盆周山地5种典型林分空间结构的特征,为该地区森林结构化经营提供理论依据。【方法】以四川盆周山地同龄的杉木纯林、柳杉纯林、杉木-柳杉混交林及同一时期形成的人天混交林和天然次生林为研究对象,采用角尺度、混交度、大小比数和林分空间结构指数对其空间结构进行分析。【结果】1)杉木纯林、杉木-柳杉混交林、人工天然混交林和天然次生林的水平分布格局为随机分布,平均角尺度分别为0.485、0.478、0.478、0.481,柳杉纯林为均匀分布,平均角尺度为0.455。2)5种林分的大小比数频率分布比较均匀,平均大小比数分别为0.465、0.529、0.446、0.810和0.534,林分整体为中庸生长状态。3)在混交度研究中,杉木纯林和柳杉纯林以零度混交为主,平均混交度分别为0.227和0.020;杉木-柳杉混交林的平均混交度为0.460,林分整体为中度混交;人工天然混交林和天然次生林平均混交度为0.610和0.674,为强度混交。4)引入林分空间结构指数FSSI,综合分析3种林分空间结构参数,FSSI大小排序为:天然次生林>人工天然混交林>杉木-柳杉混交林>杉木纯林>柳杉纯林,其排序与林分混交度排序结果一致。【结论】该地区5种典型林分空间结构的大小比数和角尺度相差不大,林分空间结构主要受混交度的影响。     

Interception loss, throughfall and stemflow chemistry in pine and oak forests in northeastern Mexico

Interception loss, gross precipitation, throughfall and stemflow solution chemistry beneath pine (Pinus pseudostrobus Lindl.), oak (Quercus sp.) and pine-oak natural forest canopies in northeastern Mexico were measured. Coefficients of variation for throughfall were 12% in pine and oak canopies and 17% in the mixed pine-oak canopy. The variability of stemflow averaged 66, 126 and 73% for pine, oak and the mixed pine-oak canopies, respectively. Linear regression analysis of net versus gross precipitation for the three canopies showed highly significant correlations (r = 0.974-0.984). Total precipitation during the experimental period was 974 mm and estimated interception loss was 19.2, 13.6 and 23% for the pine, oak and pine-oak canopies, respectively. Stemflow did not occur following rainfall events of less than 4 mm and, in all canopies, stemflow represented a minimal proportion of gross precipitation (0.60, 0.50 and 0.03% for pine, oak and pine-oak, respectively). Throughfall pH in pine (6.2), oak (6.3) and pine-oak (6.3) canopies was significantly more acidic than gross precipitation (6.6). Stemflow pH ranged from 3.7 (pine) to 6.0 (oak). The pine-oak canopy registered the highest throughfall and stemflow electrical conductivities, 104 and 188 microS cm(-1), respectively. Net nutrient leaching of K, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn and Zn was significantly higher from the pine-oak canopy than from the pure pine and oak canopies. Mean depositions of Ca and Cu in throughfall behaved similarly among the three types of canopies. A greater proportion of Zn in gross precipitation was absorbed by the oak canopy than by the pine and pine-oak canopies. Enrichment factors beneath the pine-oak canopy relative to gross precipitation varied from 1.2 to 3.2 for macro-nutrients (Ca, K, Mg and Na) and from 1.4 to 3.1 for micro-nutrients (Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn). Stemflow depositions of Ca, K, Mg and Cu were higher in the pine-oak canopy, whereas stemflow depositions of Na, Fe, Mn and Zn were higher in the pine canopy.     

Impact of timber harvesting on carbon storage in montane forests of central Mexico

New Forests - Cut stumps are the legacy of forest harvesting and allow for the estimation of carbon loss from the ecosystem. The objective of this study was to estimate aboveground carbon storage...     

闽北山地马尾松林生物量调查及其结构的研究

采用分层切割法对不同年龄马尾松人工林的生物量进行研究。根据各径级标准木生物量建立回归方程,估算不同年龄马尾松林分各器官生物量。同时还比较了不同年龄林分生物量结构和生产力。     

墨西哥哈里斯科(Jalisco)林分结构小面积估测

对小的生态经济区开展自然资源统计是很困难的,政府决策人员只能依靠州水平的数据库来评价一定区域或局部的自然资源（森林、牧场、草地、农田等）状况。小面积评估技术可以用于评定这些资源。然而,哪一种小面积估测法可以给出最可靠、最准确的结果还不得而知。本研究检测了小面积评估分析常用的两种方法（即综合估计法和回归估计法）的可靠性、准确性。运用这两种方法分析墨西哥哈里斯科（Jalisco）州全州的自然资源数据,从而检测每种方法对所选择的森林林分结构特征预测结果的好坏。研究表明,回归方法在多个地理尺度上,对森林林分结构特征预测的可靠性和准确性均最好。因此,推荐州或地方资源管理者,在没有其他适当的辅助信息资料的情况下,可运用回归分析法来评估小区域内自然资源状况。图4表5参14。