Tropical and Highland Temperate Forest Plantations in Mexico: Pathways for Climate Change Mitigation and Ecosystem Services Delivery

Abstract

Forest plantations are a possible way of increasing forest productivity in temperate and tropical forests, and therefore also increasing above-and belowground carbon pools. In the context of climate change, monospecific plantations might become an alternative to mitigate global warming; however, their contribution to the structural complexity, complementarity, and biodiversity of forests has not been addressed. Mixed forest plantations can ensure that objectives of climate change mitigation are met through carbon sequestration, while also delivering anticipated ecosystem services (e.g., nutrient cycling, erosion control, and wildlife habitat). However, mixed forest plantations pose considerable operational challenges and research opportunities. For example, it is essential to know how many species or functional traits are necessary to deliver a set of benefits, or what mixture of species and densities are key to maintaining productive plantations and delivering multiple ecosystem services. At the same time, the establishment of forest plantations in Mexico should not be motivated solely by timber production. Forest plantations should also increase carbon sequestration, maintain biodiversity, and provide other ecosystem services. This article analyzes some matters that affect the development of planted forests in the Mexican national context, and presents alternatives for forest resources management through the recommendation of mixed forest plantations as a means of contributing to climate change mitigation and the delivery of ecosystem services.

Factores ambientales y físicos que afectan la supervivencia de siete especies forestales en el Estado de México

“…Estos diferentes actores deben proporcionar la información suficiente para que las plantaciones establecidas puedan considerarse en un futuro como verdaderos experimentos naturales útiles para evaluar el desempeño de las diferentes especies en distintas condiciones de sitio. Ese tipo de protocolos se hará más importante en el futuro cercano, en la medida que sea necesaria más y mejor información para evaluar la adaptación de especies en presencia del cambio climático (Galicia, 2017), así como de cambios en los ciclos de nutrientes y modificaciones drásticas en los suelos.…”

Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Community Forest Management: Evolution and Limitations in Mexican Forest Law, Policy and Practice

“…Despite the meager seedling survival rates of reforestation programs [157], reforestation is commonly included as a condition for management plans to be authorized. This logic pervades as official programs tend to support the establishment of new (often monospecific) plantations [158], e.g., copal Bursera spp. resin [159], instead of documenting and supporting existing (often sustainable) local practices [160].…”

Spatial genetic structure of two conifers in a highly modified landscape of central Mexico

“…Mexican temperate forests are ecosystems undergoing high loss of vegetation cover due to changes in land use (0.8 % per year) (SEMARNAT 2016;Guerra-De la Cruz and Galicia 2017). In central Mexico, La Malinche National Park (LMNP) is a Protected Natural Area considered the country's most isolated mountain (SEMARNAT-CONANP 2013), home to a great diversity of temperate forest species (Fernández and López-Domínguez 2005; Domínguez-Domínguez and Pérez-Ponce de León 2009).…”