Utilization of Shrubs and Trees for Browse, Fuelwood, and Timber in the Tamaulipan Thornscrub, Northeastern Mexico

Reid, Nick; Marroquin, Jorge; Beyer-Munzel, Peter

The Tamaulipan thornscrub is the subtropical, semi-arid vegetation that covers the Gulf coastalplain ofnonheastern Mexico. Leguminous trees and shrubs constitute one-third ofthe diverse woody flora, which is exploited by the rural population for extensive grazing of livesrock, fuelwood and timber for fencing and construction. Cutting intensity and extent ofbrowsing damage to 53 woody species was assessedin 40 sites stratified according to habitat in the region oflinares, Nuevo l,e6n. Principal uses of the timber were identified in interviews with campesinos.Unarmed shrubs and trees such as Bernardia myricaefolia, Amyris temna, Citharerylum berlandieriand Helietta pamifoliawere most heavily browsed: H. pamifolia, Condalia hookeri, Pithecellobiumpallens, Cordia boissieri and Prosopis laevigatawere the most frequently cut trees. Helieua parvifulia, a non-legume, was the most important multipurpose tree in the region, and three legumes - Pithecellobium ebano (tree), Acacia berlandieri and Eysenhardtia polystaclrya ( shnrbs ) - provided both browse and timber or fuelwood. The most heavily exploited and highly valued timber species had dark, hard wood and were slower-growing than the high-yielding legumes commonly associated with multipurpose trees and shrubs in the semi-arid tropics.Sustainable, managed silvopastoral and agroforestry systems based on the indigenous forage, timber and fuelwood trees and shrubs need to be developed in the Tamaulipan thornscrub if traditional land-use practices are to be improved and the excessive exploitation and overgrazing ofdwindling plant resources are to be reversed. More information is required regarding the response ofvaluable woody species to browsing and cutting, their ease of propagation, and their capacity to increase on landscapes where less desirable elements have been selectively removed.

Utilization of Shrubs and Trees for Browse, Fuelwood, and Timber in the Tamaulipan Thornscrub, Northeastern Mexico

Series