Abstract

HERNANDEZ GARCIA, Jorge et al. Biomass in bushes, weeds and on the forest floor as a risk factor of fires. Rev. mex. de cienc. forestales [online]. 2016, vol.7, n.36, pp.51-63. ISSN 2007-1132.

The present study highlights the importance of generating information on forest fuels to determine the risk of forest fire in pine, oak and montane cloud forests in San Antonio, Chimalapa, Oaxaca. Its purpose was to calculate the content of aboveground biomass in the various components found on the forest floor of three vegetation types, at risk of fire. In the course of the year 2014, fifteen 1 000 m2 sites and nine 1 m2 subsites were established under supervision, in order to assess the wood, dead leaves, necromass, bushes and weeds compartments. The risk rates were determined by vegetation type. The information was validated using variance analysis and mean tests (Duncan, 0.05), under a fully randomized design. The biomass contents of the forest floor were 8.77 t has-1 for the montane cloud forest, 15.23 t has-1 for the oak forest, and 1.07 t has-1 for the pine forest. The biomass content of the weeds was higher (p = 0.009) in the pine forest than in other vegetation types. However, the total fuel load of the forest floor turned out to be between 2.0 and 2.59 t ha-1, which indicates that the risk of fire in study area is low; in contrast, the montane cloud forest had the highest risk rate.

Keywords : Oak forest; pine forest; montane cloud forest; forest fuel load; dry matter compartments; Oaxaca.

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