Silvicultural characterization of Bursera linanoe natural stands in Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero States

Abstract

The linaloe tree (Bursera linanoe) is a timber species with high ecological and economical importance. It grows at some specificsites of the tropical deciduos forest of south and central Mexico. The objective of the study was to determine timber stocks, evaluatenatural regeneration and develop mathematical models to estimate wood volume in linaloe trees (Bursera linanoe), in threelocations representative of its natural range in Mexico: San Juan de los Cués, Oaxaca; Chiautla de Tapia, Puebla and Xalitla,Guerrero. In each of the localities, a plot of 25 hectares of tropical deciduous forest was delimited. A field survey was carried outcovering a total sampling area of 33,000 m², through the inspection of 66 circular-shaped sampling sites, each with an area of 500m2, and distributed systematically. In order to generate mathematical models for the estimation of wood volumes, a sample size of80 trees was calculated, which meant an average of 10 trees for each of the categories between 5 cm and 40 cm of diameter atbreast height and a range of heights from 2 m to 8 m. The results showed, respectively, for San Juan de los Cués, Chiautla de Tapiaand Xalitla, the following data: 44, 45 and 36 trees per hectare; 4.1, 1.3 and 1.8 average stems per tree; average basal areas of0.8827 m²·ha-1, 0.9626 m²·ha-¹ and 2.3141 m²·ha-¹; and a square diameter of 16 cm, 17 cm and 30 cm. As for the regeneration onlyin Chiautla de Tapia were counted 21 trees per hectare, in the other two localities there was no regeneration. The model generatedto calculate the total volume per tree was: 0.000074 DN1.7861 H1.3832, from which the timber stocks of 11.19 m³·ha-¹ werecalculated; 10.41 m³·ha-¹ and 23.38 m³·ha-¹. It is concluded that the populations of linaloe in the study areas are reduced, naturalregeneration practically does not exist, the standing wood stocks are reduced.