Abstract

ESPINOZA-MARTINEZ, Luz A.; RODRIGUEZ-TREJO, Dante A.  and  ZAMUDIO-SANCHEZ, Francisco J.. Synecology of the Pinus hartwegii understory two and three years after prescribed burns. Agrociencia [online]. 2008, vol.42, n.6, pp.717-730. ISSN 2521-9766.

New approaches to fire management involve greater use of prescribed fire, requiring greater understanding of the effects of both prescribed fire and wildfires. Low densities of mature trees and lack of regeneration have been observed at the Ajusco Volcano, Federal District, México, and have been related to changes in the fire regime. The effects of fire on the understory of Pinus hartwegii Lindl. two and three years after application of prescribed burning were investigated in this region. Fire treatments were applied to plots of between 0.6 ha and 0.75 ha in 2002 under the following conditions: at two times (March and May), two intensities (low and high), two stand canopy conditions (closed and open), with an additional control (unburned) plot. Data were collected in the rainy seasons of the second and third years after the fire (2004, 2005) and analyzed using multivariate hypothesis tests. Fire treatments favored understory diversity, richness, and cover, especially in the open canopy treatments two years following the burns, with the trend decreasing in the third year. Forty-one and 34 species were encountered in the second and third years.

Keywords : Pinus hartwegii; fire ecology; effects and impacts of prescribed fire; integrated fire management.