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Mahogany Growth and Mortality and the Relation of Growth to Site

Characteristics in a Natural Forest in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Article  in  European Journal of Marketing · October 2014

DOI: 10.5849/forsci.14-031

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 For. Sci. 60(5):907–913
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH http://dx.doi.org/10.5849/forsci.14-031
Copyright © 2014 Society of American Foresters

silviculture

Mahogany Growth and Mortality and the Relation

of Growth to Site Characteristics in a Natural
Forest in Quintana Roo, Mexico
Patricia Negreros-Castillo and Carl W. Mize

The management of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico is based on the assumption that diameter at breast height (dbh) growth
averages 0.73 cm yrⴚ1 so mahogany will reach a harvestable dbh of 55 cm in 75 years. In 2002, transects were established in the forested area of Laguna Kaná
in Quintana Roo, Mexico. All mahogany with a dbh > 10.0 cm were measured and marked. In 2008/2009, the trees were remeasured, and tree, soil, and site
characteristics and competition around each tree were recorded. Of the 499 trees studied, average dbh growth of surviving trees was 0.22 cm yrⴚ1, far below the rate
assumed by managers. Only 21 trees grew 0.73 cm yrⴚ1 or more. Dbh growth was significantly correlated to initial dbh and the percentage of the soil that was Box
lu⬘um, varied significantly among soil types and colors and was negatively correlated to stoniness. Growth was not significantly influenced by crown radius, basal area
of competition, crown growing space, topographic position, microrelief, and soil depth (for soils 30 cm in depth or less). Mortality averaged 1% per year and was not
related to initial dbh or initial commercial height. Forest management in Quintana Roo requires new science-based practices that increase the growth of standing trees
and that ensure the establishment and continued recruitment of mahogany reproduction.

Keywords: site quality, Maya Forest, big leaf mahogany

C
ommercially, big-leaf or Honduras mahogany (Swietenia
macrophylla King) has been the most important tree species
in tropical forests from Mexico to Brazil for centuries
(Lamb 1966) and is one of the most valuable timber species in the
world (Mayhew and Newton 1998). It is so important that it could
be considered a financial keystone species in those countries. When
forests in some countries do not contain commercial species, they
are more likely to be converted to pasture or other more profitable
land uses (Fredericken and Putz 2003). In Quintana Roo, some-
thing similar happens when forests do not contain mahogany. The
continuous presence of mahogany in a forest increases the likelihood
of its existence.
Mahogany is selectively logged in Mexico and in the rest of Latin
America (Whitman et al. 1997, Snook 1998). From a biological
standpoint, primary challenges to achieving sustainable timber pro-
duction in selectively logged tropical forests include fostering ade-
quate regeneration and managing high species diversity and slow
growth of commercially important species, such as mahogany
(Negreros-Castillo and Mize 2006, Keller et al. 2007). Considerable
attention has been given to reduced impact logging (RIL) as a way to
do selective logging in tropical forests (Rice et al. 2001). RIL, al-
though much preferable to conventional logging, only incidentally
benefits residual forest increment (Wadsworth and Zweede 2006)
and regeneration.
Some tree species grow on a wide range of microsites; however,
growth varies with soil conditions, land form, hydrology, and other site
factors. In temperate regions, characteristics of sites where tree species,
especially economically important ones, tend to grow faster are often
well known and are used to profitably manage forests (Lu et al. 2002).
In tropical regions, however, such information is less available.

Manuscript received February 23, 2014; accepted July 1, 2014; published online July 24, 2014.
Affiliations: Patricia Negreros-Castillo (patri_nc@yahoo.com), University of Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico. Carl W. Mize (carlmize@gmail.com), Iowa State Uni-
versity, retired.
Acknowledgments: Special thanks to the community of Laguna Kana⬘ and many of its members who directly participated in the study. Thanks to the Ford and
Hewlett Foundations for research support in 2002 through the Department of Environmental Studies, Florida International University, David Bray,
principal investigator. Thanks to CONACYT and Universidad Veracruzana for research support in 2008 –2009. Thanks to the Organización de Ejidos
Productores Forestales de la Zona Maya (OEPFZM), particularly to Victoria Santos Jiménez, technical director of OEPFZM. Thank you to Imelda
Martínez Salazar, Gabriela Uc Cua, and Juan Damas Damas for their help with the fieldwork in 2008. Thank you with special gratitude to Dr. Frank
Wadsworth, whose advice and guidance were the idea behind this study and contributed to the manuscript. Finally, thanks to Steven Shifley and anonymous
reviewers for helping us markedly improve the manuscript.

Forest Science • October 2014 907

Figure 1. Location of study area, Laguna Kaná, a forestry community.
Growth and/or mortality rates of some tropical tree species de-
pend on edaphic and/or topographic factors (Baraloto et al. 2006,
2007, Sorensen 2006, Yamada et al. 2007). The growth response of
tropical tree species to light availability has been shown to depend
on soil moisture availability (Poorter and Hayashida-Oliver 2000,
Fotelli et al. 2001, Wichmann 2001) and nutrients (Palmiotto et al.
2004, Russo et al. 2005, 2008). Grogan et al. (2003) studied the
growth and survival of planted nursery-grown mahogany seedlings
on upland and bottomland topographic positions in Parà, Brazil,
and concluded that soil nutrient changes across topographic relief
complements increased light levels that shaped adult distribution
patterns and population structure.
Mahogany is found in tropical forests from medium evergreen
forests to medium semi-evergreen forests (Mayhew and Newton
1998). Mahogany grows in diverse soil types from soils rich to poor
in nutrients with humidity regimens from dry to very humid with an
excess of moisture and in karst soils rich in calcium and magnesium.
In general, mahogany develops better on soils low in calcium and
magnesium, which is reflected in the adult distribution pattern
(Grogan et al. 2003). In Quintana Roo, mahogany occurs preferen-
tially on level sites compared to sloped and shows a preference for
black soils (Negreros-Castillo and Mize 2012).
The objectives of this study were to estimate the dbh growth and
mortality rates of mahogany in a natural forest and to evaluate the
relationship of growth rate to soil-site characteristics and competi-
tion with the intention of developing inexpensive and easy-to-apply
recommendations for forest managers in Quintana Roo.
Methodology
This study was conducted in the community forests of Laguna
Kaná, near the center of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico (Figure
1). The forests of central and southern Quintana Roo are known as
seasonal tropical forests or medium-height semi-evergreen forests
(Pennington and Sarukhan 1998), examples of the most important
908 Forest Science • October 2014
tropical forest type in Central America. The forest in Laguna Kaná is
a mosaic forest resulting from past and current human utilization of
the forest, including centuries of slash and burn agriculture (Gliess-
man et al. 1981, Edwards 1986, Gómez-Pompa et al. 1987) and
periodic hurricane events (Dickinson et al. 2001, Goode and Allen
2008).
Annual precipitation averages 1,300 mm, with 75% falling be-
tween May and November, and temperature averages 26° C with a
minimum of 8° C (García 1973, Tamayo 1981). Soils have devel-
oped from a limestone parent material characteristic of the Yucatan
Peninsula (Tellez et al. 1980, Wilson 1980). Topographic change
across the state is minimal; the terrain often is undulated with gentle
grades (1%) over kilometers and many small mounds with heights
rarely exceeding 15 m (Vester and Navarro-Martínez 2005). Soil
heterogeneity associated with mounds and depressions on generally
flat limestone soils is high (Hernàndez-Xolocotzi 1958, Furley and
Newey 1979, in Belize Bautista and Zinck 2010). Soils on the tops
of very low rises (a few m) tend to be shallower than those at the
bottom (Hernández-Xolocotzi 1958, Furley and Newey 1979,
Sánchez-Sánchez and Islebe 2002, Bautista et al. 2003). Black soils
are generally shallow, occurring on mounds, while red soils are
found at bottom relief positions and are generally deeper, with some
variation (Bautista and Zinck 2010). Among the main soil types in
the region are histosols, lithisols, rendzisols, mollisols, and gleysols
(Bautista and Zinck 2010).
The study was established in the 11,000 ha forested area owned
by Laguna Kaná. The forest was managed for at least 25 years by a
concessionaire until 1983. The concessionaire focused on harvest-
ing high-quality mahogany with dbh ⱖ 65 cm. Since 1983, the
community, with the help of forest consultants, has managed the
forest with a primary objective of harvesting mahogany with dbh ⱖ
55 cm. No thinning has ever been attempted, and limited, mostly
unsuccessful, planting of mahogany seedlings has been done
(Negreros-Castillo and Mize 2003).
Table 1. Characteristics of Box luⴕum and Chac luⴕum soils of Quintana Roo, Mexico.a

Soil type (three systems) Maya soil General location within % of Quintana Roo
classification FAO/UNESCO WRB Soil color Characteristics the state with soil
Box lu⬘um (NA) (mollic leptosols) Black Black soils, with little fine earth, shallow, 20–60% NAb NA
gravel and stones, ⬎10% organic matter, well
drained, with or without calcium carbonate.
Chac lu⬘um (cambisols) (NA) Red Less than 40 cm thick. Found on calcareous rocks. Mainly in the northwest 20.2
Efficient internal drainage, superficial drainage and center of the
moderately efficient. Soils do not retain state, on flat areas
humidity. and slopes between
1.5 and 10%
a
Adapted from Sánchez-Sánchez and Islebe (2002) and Bautista and Zinck (2010).
b
WRB ⫽ World Reference Base for Soil Resources. NA, not available.

In 2002, 20 transects of varying lengths (total length ⫽ 119 km, Table 2. Number of trees by dbh class and number of years for
total area ⫽ 448.4 ha) were established at intervals of 500 m across trees in each class to reach 55 cm dbh.
the forest. The transects ran north-south, with the first transect Number of Years to 55
starting 500 m from the northwest corner of the forest and the last Dbh class trees cm dbha
transect starting 100 m from the northeast corner of the forest. Low 10.1–20.0 37 182
areas, called bajos, that frequently flood and can remain flooded for 20.1–30.0 97 136
months were not included in the transects as mahogany seldom 30.1–40.0 131 91
40.1–50.0 143 45
grows there and moving across them is problematic. Each transect 50.1–60.0 61 0
was divided into 50 m long contiguous plots, which were initially ⬎60.1–70.0 26 0
30 m wide. After finishing two transects, width was increased to a
Based on a dbh growth rate ⫽ 0.22 cm yr⫺1 and projecting the midpoint of each
40 m to increase the number of mahogany that would be measured. class.
All mahogany with dbh ⬎ 10.0 cm found along the transects were
tagged using an aluminum nail placed 5 cm below 1.3 m to guide
Table 3. Characteristics of mahogany remeasured in 2008.
remeasurement, then dbh and commercial height were measured.
No trees had buttresses above 1.0 m, so dbh was measured at 1.3 m Number of
on all trees. Characteristic trees Average Minimum Maximum
In 2008/2009, all mahogany was searched for, and for those Dbh in 2002 (cm) 499 39.1 11.1 110.8
found alive, dbh and commercial height were remeasured. Mahog- Dbh growth (cm yr⫺1) 499 0.22 ⫺0.28 1.97
Basal area growth (cm2 yr⫺1) 499 13.3 ⫺26.0 124.1
any that was too small to measure in 2002 but had reached the Commercial height in 2002 (m) 297 9.7 3 42.5
minimum dbh measured, 10.1 cm, was not added to the study Crown radius in 2008 (m) 207 3.4 1.0 8.1
because of limited resources. To evaluate the soil-site characteristics Basal area of competition in 498 9.9 2.3 25.3
around each live mahogany, the tree crown was projected onto the 2008 (m2 ha⫺1)
No. of free to grow quadrants in 496 3.0 0 4
ground and divided in four quarters. In each quarter, percentage 2008 (no. open)
coverage by soil type and soil color, stoniness as a percentage of the
soil surface that was exposed rock, and depth to a solid surface to a
maximum depth of 30 cm were recorded. For the projected crown
tion coefficient were used to evaluate the relationships of dbh
area as a whole, microrelief (flat, concave, convex, and sloped), and
growth and mortality to individual tree and site characteristics.
topography (top of a mound, shoulder of mound, bottom of
Given the possible interrelationships among variables, graphs
mound, flat terrain, and undulating flat terrain) were recorded. Be-
and multiple linear regression were used to evaluate the relation-
cause one of the objectives of this research was to develop low cost
ship of dbh growth to various combinations of tree and site
and relatively easy-to-apply recommendations for forest managers,
variables.
we used color and soil type from the Mayan soil classification sys-
tem (Table 1) (Duch 1988, Sánchez-Sánchez and Islebe 2002,
Negreros-Castillo and Mize 2012), which is well known and cur- Results
rently used by local people. No soil chemical analysis was done. In 2002, 573 mahogany were identified. In 2008/2009, 504
Competition was evaluated using two methods: tree crown free-to- trees were remeasured. Of the missing 69 trees, 15 were eliminated
grow quadrants (FTG) and basal area. For FTG quadrants, trees because they were incorrectly tagged or the original dbh was miss-
were scored from 0 to indicate no growing space (meaning all four ing, 6 were not found and appeared to have been harvested, 8 were
sides of the crown were touching crowns of other trees) to 4 which the wrong species, 4 were not found, and 36 were found but dead.
meant that all four sides were not touching crowns of other trees The density of mahogany was 1.3 trees per ha, and the dbh distri-
(Lamson et al. 1990). Basal area of competition surrounding the bution of the trees is shown in Table 2.
mahogany tree was measured using a 2.3 m2 ha⫺1 factor prism with Of the 504 trees, five were excluded from growth analyses be-
the tree as the plot center. Crown diameter was estimated, when the cause of what we believe were significant errors in measurement or
crown outline was visible, as the average of two perpendicular recording. Of the remaining 499 trees, average dbh growth was 0.22
measurements. cm yr⫺1 (SD ⫽ 0.27) (Table 3). Management plans for the region
T-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correla- assume mahogany will reach 55 cm in dbh in 75 years (Carreón et al.

Forest Science • October 2014 909


Figure 2. Dbh growth versus initial dbh. Horizontal line is at 0.73
cm/yr, dbh growth rate assumed by forest managers.
Table 4. Average dbh growth among sites that were at least 75%
one soil color and the soil color was found for at least five
mahogany.
Number of Average dbh growth
Soil color trees (cm yr⫺1)
Café oscuro 45 0.29 ba
Negro 282 0.24 b
Café rojizo 28 0.16 a b
Rojo 11 0.08 a b
Cafo 63 0.05 a
a
Means with same letters are not significantly different, Tukey 5%, SE ⫽ 0.056.
1990), which requires a growth rate of 0.73 cm yr⫺1. Only 21 (4%)
trees grew that fast or faster (Figure 2).
The relationship of initial dbh, stoniness, basal area of competi-
tors, and crown radius to dbh growth was evaluated with the Pear-
son correlation coefficient. For initial dbh, r ⫽ ⫺0.12 (P ⫽ 0.008,
n ⫽ 499) (Figure 2), for stoniness r ⫽ ⫺0.11 (P ⫽ 0.018, n ⫽ 498),
for basal area of competition r ⫽ 0.00 (P ⫽ 0.98, n ⫽ 498), and for
crown radius r ⫽ ⫺0.086 (P ⫽ 0.22, N ⫽ 207). ANOVA, consid-
ering the five classifications of FTG as treatments, and correlation,
considering the five classifications as a continuous variable, were
used to evaluate the relationship of FTG (0 – 4) and dbh growth,
and both analyses showed no effect (P ⫽ 0.38 and 0.28,
respectively).
Of the 499 tree plots, the soils for 493 were a mixture of Box
lu⬘um and Chak lu⬘um soil types only. Using those plots, correla-
tion between percentage of the soil that was Box lu⬘um and dbh
growth was 0.22 (P ⬍ 0.001, n ⫽ 493). Of the 376 plots that were
at least 75% Box lu⬘um 18 mahogany grew more than 0.73 cm yr⫺1
while only one mahogany on the 108 plots that were at least 75%
Chak lu⬘um grew more than 0.73 cm yr⫺1. Of the eight colors used
to classify the soils, a few color categories were found infrequently,
and many plots had a mixture of colors that would make analysis
quite complicated. But the majority of plots were mostly one color,
so ANOVA was used to compare the average dbh growth among
those plots that were at least 75% one color (F ⫽ 10.3, df ⫽ 4,424,
P ⬍ 0.001) (Table 4). For soils that were 100% Box lu⬘um, café
oscuro and negro were the only soil colors found and for soils that
were 100% Chak lu⬘um, café rojizo, rojo, and cafo were the only soil
colors found. ANOVA of dbh growth for the five topographic po-
sitions showed an indication of a difference among positions (F ⫽
2.1, df ⫽ 4,493, P ⫽ 0.080) with the averages for the top and
910 Forest Science • October 2014
Table 5. Average dbh growth among five topographic positions.
Number of Average dbh growth
Position trees (cm yr⫺1)
Level, not undulating 49 0.30 aa
Shoulder of mound 66 0.26 a
Level, undulating 344 0.21 a
Bottom of mound 14 0.16 a
Top of mound 25 0.15 a
a
Means with same letters are not significantly different, Tukey’s Honestly signifi-
cant difference (HSD) 5%, SE ⫽ 0.070.
bottom of hills being lower than the other three positions (Table 5),
but microrelief clearly did not influence dbh growth (F ⫽ 1.0, df ⫽
3,493, P ⫽ 0.38).
For soils less than 30 cm deep, the correlation of dbh growth and
soil depth was r ⫽ 0.01 (P ⫽ 0.88, n ⫽ 404). For another perspec-
tive, the correlation was calculated separately for 100% Box lu⬘um
and 100% Chak lu⬘um soils and the results were similar (r ⫽ 0.02,
P ⫽ 0.72, n ⫽ 318 and r ⫽ ⫺0.01, P ⫽ 0.95, n ⫽ 88, respectively).
To include soils more than 30 cm deep, a t-test was done to compare
the average dbh growth on all soils less than 30 cm deep to all soils
more than 30 cm deep (shallow soils—mean ⫽ 0.20 cm, n ⫽ 406,
SE ⫽ 0.01; deep soils—mean ⫽ 0.28 cm, n ⫽ 93, SE ⫽ 0.03; t ⫽
2.6, P ⫽ 0.009).
For a more in-depth evaluation, data were separated into two
groups based on soil type, 75% or more Box lu⬘um and 75% or
more Chak lu⬘um because soil type had the largest impact on dbh
growth. For both groups, graphs (not included) of dbh growth
against the previously mentioned characteristics showed that the
fastest-growing trees grew more commonly on soils with a low per-
centage of stoniness and for the trees with 3 or 4 FTG quadrants and
that the fastest-growing trees showed no relationship to levels of the
other variables.
Multiple regression was used to evaluate the significance of the
relationship of stoniness and number of FTG quadrants to dbh
growth for both groups. Percentage cover was converted to a
dummy variable with a value of 0 for percentage rock cover of 5% or
less and a value of 1 for more than 5% cover. FTG was also con-
verted to a dummy variable with 0 to 2 quadrants given a value of 0
and 3 and 4 a value of 1. For both groups the coefficient for stoniness
showed an increase in dbh growth for plots with 5% and less stoni-
ness (for Chak lu⬘um P ⬍ 0.001 and for Box lu⬘um P ⫽ 0.052). For
both groups the coefficient for FTG was not significant (for Chak
lu⬘um P ⫽ 0.76 and for Box lu⬘um P ⫽ 0.34). Although some of the
trees with 3 or 4 FTG quadrants had the fastest dbh growth, many
other trees in that group grew very slowly.
Mortality was 1% per year with 36 of 555 trees (573 total, de-
leting six probably harvested, eight wrong species, and four not
found) dying over 6 years. A comparison of the trees that died before
the 2008/2009 measurement with those that survived was limited
because most characteristics evaluated in 2008/2009 were done for
live trees. Based on a t-test, average initial dbhs were not different for
the two groups (P ⫽ 0.68) nor were average initial commercial
heights (P ⫽ 0.14).
Discussion
Big-leaf mahogany dbh growth rate is quite variable across its
distribution range. In some locations it grows rapidly (0.6 –2.5 cm
yr⫺1) (Lamb 1966, Shono and Snook 2006, Grogan et al. 2010),
while in other locations, like the Yucatan Peninsula, it grows rela-
tively slowly (0.16 – 0.38 cm yr⫺1) (Snook 2000, Negreros-Castillo
and Mize 2006), which is consistent with 0.22 cm yr⫺1 observed in
this study. Variability in-growth rate has been attributed to various
factors, such as age, size class, rainfall, soil nutrient content, genetic
variation, and disturbances (natural and anthropogenic) (Lamb
1966, Guillison et al. 1996, Whigham et al. 1998, Grogan et al.
2003, Shono and Snook 2006, Grogan et al. 2010). The fastest
growth rates have been reported for trees growing on fertile, well-
drained soils in Belize and Brazil (Lamb 1966, Grogan et al. 2003),
as well as in sites with a combination of good soil characteristics and
logging or competition reduction (Shono and Snook 2006, Grogan
et al. 2010). The Yucatan peninsula, where Laguna Kana is located,
has calcareous soils that are often associated with slow tree growth.
Rainfall decreases from south to north in the peninsula, and Laguna
Kana is near the center of the peninsula, which is near the northern
limit of mahogany in the area.
It was surprising that FTG quadrants and basal area of competi-
tion did not significantly impact dbh growth. It is possible that
rainfall is low enough that moisture competition is a more impor-
tant factor in Quintana Roo than it is in other areas where mahog-
any grows.
Many of the characteristics evaluated had no apparent influence
on dbh growth, but mahogany growth was influenced by soil type
and color as other authors have found (Lamb 1966, Grogan et al.
2010) and trees on plots with at least 75% Box lu⬘um grew substan-
tially faster than trees on plots with at least 75% Chac lu⬘um. Ma-
hogany on soils with 5% or less stoniness grew faster than stonier
soils.
With a goal of harvesting trees with a dbh of 55 cm or more, the
average growth rate for all trees of 0.22 cm yr⫺1 would require a
commercially impractical rotation of 250 years for this region, and
as shown in Table 2, for trees in the 40 –50 cm dbh class, they will
not be harvestable for 45 years. For trees growing on plots that were
at least 75% Box lu⬘um soil with 5% or less stoniness, dbh growth of
the 153 trees that met that criteria averaged 0.28 cm yr⫺1 (SE ⫽
0.05), which would require a slightly less impractical rotation of 196
years. Thus, our first recommendation is that the forest owners and
their managers reconsider their management plans because their
assumed 75 year rotation is about a third of what it should be based
on the growth rates observed.
However, a small percentage of the trees in the study did grow
0.73 cm yr⫺1 or faster, which shows that mahogany is capable of
growing fast enough to achieve 55 cm in 75 years. Mahogany
regeneration that establishes under a natural forest or in a lightly
harvested forest grows slowly and often dies within a few years
(Negreros-Castillo et al. 2003, Snook and Negreros-Castillo
2004), but mahogany regeneration obtained by planting seed or
seedlings into slash and burn agriculture sites has adequate sur-
vival and growth (Negreros-Castillo et al. 2003, Snook and
Negreros-Castillo 2004). The only forest management con-
ducted in Laguna Kana⬘s forest for at least the last 60 years has
been harvesting of a limited number of trees per hectare about
every 20 years. Thus, many of the mahoganies that were evalu-
ated have passed much, if not all, of their lives growing with
substantial competition that likely prevented them from devel-
oping full crowns that would allow them to grow faster than they
have grown, and silvicultural treatments are only effective when
mahogany trees are small (Verwer et al. 2008). Competing veg-
etation is also a barrier for regeneration and recruitment of new
mahogany trees. Therefore, our second recommendation is (i) to
create slash and burn clearings in the forest and seed or plant
mahogany into the clearings, preferably planting on soils that are
at least 75% Box lu⬘um, (ii) clear seedlings that develop in these
clearings of vines and liberate the mahogany every 2 years for at
least 5 years (Negreros-Castillo et al. 2014), (iii) release larger
mahogany established in these clearings every 5–10 years as lib-
eration has rendered positive results with other species in eastern
Amazonia (Wadsworth and Zweede 2006), (iv) liberate mahog-
anies already established with the hope of increasing their growth
rates, and (v) establish studies to evaluate the impact of ii, iii,
and iv.
The observed 1% annual mortality is consistent with observa-
tions in previous studies (Negreros-Castillo and Mize 2006 in Quin-
tana Roo and Grogan and Landis 2009 in Pará, Brazil). If mahogany
was established in slash and burn agricultural sites and given some
liberation from competing trees and vines, mortality would likely
decrease.
Only 4% of mahogany grew fast enough to reach the desired 55
cm dbh in 75 years, but undoubtedly, others can grow that fast with
tending (clearing vines, liberation, and thinning of competition).
Retaining tropical forests and sustaining their ecosystem services is a
goal for many countries and organizations. In southern Quintana
Roo, the continuing existence of tropical forests depends on the
economically viable production of mahogany. Based on this study,
sustaining a productive mahogany resource will require new science-
based practices that increase the growth of standing trees and that
ensure the establishment and continued recruitment of mahogany
reproduction.
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