Silviculture of the mahogany forest of Quintana Roo, Mexico: criteria and recommendations

Silviculture is the art, science and practice of controlling the establishment, composition, health, quality and growth of forests to accomplish a set of management objectives. This publication offers an approach to silviculture of the forests of Quintana Roo in which mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King), the commercially most important tree species in Latin America, is found (Whitmore 2003). We designate these forests as mahogany forests. Much silvicultural knowledge has been gained by studying and observing which practices have or have not achieved the expected results in practice. This publication functions as a road map of technologically feasible options for the management of mahogany forests. It offers suggestions on how to develop silvicultural regimens for multiple objectives that are compatible with production of multiple forest products with emphasis on wood for industrial uses. It is hoped that by combining theory with context, those responsible for managing mahogany forests can create their own designs as well as validate and apply local knowledge and experience that they gather as they manage the mahogany forests of Quintana Roo. Produced with the financial support of the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR).