Introduction:

Fire regimes and climate change affect the regeneration of vegetation, composition and abundance of the species.

Objectives:

To compare P. hartwegii regeneration and the number of trees with fire scars at different elevations; and determine whether regeneration is related to the density of adult trees and to the density of pine trees with fire evidence.

Materials and methods:

P. hartwegii regeneration was studied at the altitudinal ranges 3 050, 3 225 and 3 400 m in the mountain El Potosí located in northeastern Mexico. Adult trees were sampled using the point-centered quarter method and saplings on square plots.

Results and discussion:

Density of adult pine trees and seedlings was higher at the low elevations (3 050 and 3 225 m). Density of pine trees with fire scars was similar (P > 0.05) at the three elevations. No correlation was detected between regeneration and number of pine trees with fire scars, but there was a positive correlation between density of seedlings and that of adult pines

Conclusion:

Altitude influences regeneration and density of P. hartwegii adult trees. Its regeneration is not related to fire evidence.

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