Maintaining the high diversity of pine and oak species in Mexican temperate forests: a new management approach combining functional zoning and ecosystem adaptability

Mexican temperate forests, at the southernmost end of the distribution range of this ecosystem, are the world's centre of diversity of pine and oak, with 55 and 161 species, respectively. Such forests are threatened by land-use change, unsustainable forest management practices, and climate change; these threats reduce their diversity, alter the distribution ranges of species, modify disturbance regimes, and reduce ecosystem adaptability. This paper briefly reviews (i) the ecology of the Mexican temperate forests, (ii) the ecological basis for the unique diversity of pine and oak species, (iii) the main disturbances as well as the main drivers of global changes affecting these forests, in particular climate change, and (iv) the social, economic, and cultural factors to be considered in proposing a new forest management approach. It proposes a new conceptual framework to manage Mexican temperate forests that are in line with (i) their natural dynamics, (ii) the rapidly changing and uncertain global environmental, social, and economic conditions, and (iii) the complex adaptive system approach. This new forest management combines functional zoning, multispecies plantations, and sylvicultural interventions to increase the adaptive capacity of forests as a way to balance the increasing need for timber products with the need for other ecosystem services facing rapidly changing and uncertain future environmental, social, and economic conditions. Key words: adaptability, biodiversity, climate change, disturbances, fire regime, forest income. Les forets temperees mexicaines, situees a l'extreme sud de l'aire de repartition de cet ecosysteme, sont le centre mondial de la diversite de pins et de chenes comptant 55 et 161 especes, respectivement. Ces forets sont menacees par la facon dont elles sont utilisees, par des pratiques de gestion de forets non durable et du au changement climatique; ces menaces reduisent leur diversite, modifient les aires de repartition des especes, modifient les regimes de perturbations et reduisent l'adaptabilite de l'ecosysteme. Cet article examine brievement (i) l'ecologie des forets temperees mexicaines, (ii) la base ecologique de la diversite unique d'especes de pins et de chenes, (iii) les principales perturbations ainsi que les principaux moteurs des changements globaux qui affectent ces forets, en particulier le changement climatique, et (iv) les facteurs sociaux, economiques et culturels, a prendre en consideration, en proposant une nouvelle approche de la gestion forestiere. Cet article propose un nouveau cadre conceptuel pour gerer les forets temperees mexicaines conforme avec (i) leur dynamique naturelle, (ii) les conditions environnementales, sociales et economiques globales, en changement continuel et incertaines, et (iii) l'approche adaptative du systeme complexe. Cette nouvelle gestion forestiere combine un zonage fonctionnel, des plantations multi-especes et des interventions sylvicoles pour augmenter la capacite d'adaptation des forets afin d'equilibrer la necessite croissante des produits forestiers avec la necessite de d'autres services ecosystemiques exposes a des conditions environnementales, sociales et economiques qui sont en changement continuel et incertaines. Mots-cles: adaptabilite, biodiversite, changement climatique, perturbations, regime de feu, revenu de la foret.
Mexican temperate forests Mexican temperate forest ecosystems include single-species or mixed forests of pine (Pinus spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), and many other genera such as Abies, Pseudotsuga, Picea, Cupressus, and [...]