Introduction:

The quantity and quality of forest fuels determine the frequency, intensity and impact of a fire. Despite the ecosystem services they provide, little is known about coastal wetlands such as mangroves and tropical freshwater forested wetlands.

Objective:

To determine the woody fuel load in wetlands of the La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve (EBR).

Materials and methods:

Woody fuels were quantified in three sites where there is an association of mangroves and tropical freshwater forested wetlands. Four sampling units were established by vegetation type at each site. The planar intersect technique was adapted for this evaluation. The fuel load was quantified and compared by type of vegetation, site and diameter class of the woody material.

Results and discussion:

Tropical freshwater forested wetlands accumulated dead fuels in a range from 63.19 to 151.87 t·ha-1, while mangroves accumulated between 88.81 to 152.38 t·ha-1; the load difference was not statistically significant (F = 1.05; P = 0.31). Regarding the diameter class, the fine fuel loads (from 0.01 to 0.60 cm) were significantly different among the mangrove sites (F = 3.05; P = 0.04), and the medium fuels (from 2.51 to 7.50 cm) were different among the swamp sites (F = 9.93; P = 0.006).

Conclusion:

The quantification of forest fuels was possible in coastal wetlands, such as mangroves and tropical freshwater forested wetlands, finding loads up to three times higher than in other temperate zone ecosystems. The information obtained will support the prioritization of fire-prone areas.