COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT POTENTIAL OF SECONDARY DRY TROPICAL VEGETATION IN 2 ABANDONED HENEQUEN PLANTATIONS OF YUCATAN, MEXICO

Data of the composition and stand dynamics of abandoned henequen (Agav e fourcroydes) fields of different ages are presented and their manage ment potential are discussed. The study was carried out in the Haciend a of Kancabchen, Yucatan, Mexico in 12 and 26 year secondary forests. Species richness and diversity were greater as the stand grew older. E ven though 73% of species have the capacity to regenerate from coppice d shoots, only between 30 and 50% of the individuals actually regenera te from coppiced shoots in both communities respectively. According to the Sorensen similarity index both stands are similar in composition (73%), while the Motyka index indicates they differ in biomass distrib ution (17%). This could be due to soil conditions and the management o f these areas, or a combination of both. The 26-year-old abandoned hen equen stand still has pioneer species dominating and very few late suc cessional species present. Slow growing tree species on the 26-year-ol d stand were expected, but their absence could be due to the lack of s eed sources, a limited dispersal capability, or to an arrested success ion due to human perturbation and management, Eight species dominated the stands, accounting for more than 60% of the total importance value s. Most species present in both stands an widely used locally and are comercialized inside the rural communities. Potential management strat egies could involve forest thinning to remove competition and favor th ose species used by the communities, those with potential to increase soil fertility, and those that could have semi-commercial purposes. Ma nagement could also include enrichment with other species such as Cedr ela odorata and Apoplanesia paniculata that are widely used and were p reviously present in the native vegetation of the area. (C) 1997 Elsev ier Science B.V.