Modification of Fire Regimes Inferred from the Age Structure of Two Conifer Species in a Tropical Montane Forest, Mexico

Research in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve reveals that fire regimes in tropical montane forests are characterized by frequent, low-severity, and low-intensity fires. This conclusion is drawn from the uneven-aged structure of stands dominated or co-dominated by smooth-bark Mexican pine (Pinus pseudostrobus) and sacred fir (Abies religiosa), which exhibit continuous tree establishment patterns across an altitudinal gradient. The study used increment cores collected from 25 mature trees at six altitudinal transects, ranging from 2400 to 3300 meters, with a total of 800 samples cross-dated to reconstruct tree establishment history. Findings suggest that while natural fire regimes may have been disrupted by human activities, limiting high-severity fires, these forests retain distinctive features shaped by their unique fire dynamics.

Sáenz-Ceja, J. E., & Pérez-Salicrup, D. R. (2020). Modification of Fire Regimes Inferred from the Age Structure of Two Conifer Species in a Tropical Montane Forest, Mexico. Forests, 11(11), 1193. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11111193