Abstract

ESCALANTE, Ernesto; LOPEZ, Lidio  and  VILLALBA, Ricardo. Growth rings of Machaerium acutifolium (Fabaceae): growth history and productive capacity in the tropical dry forests (E Bolivia). Ecología en Bolivia [online]. 2020, vol.55, n.2, pp.85-93. ISSN 1605-2528.

Machaerium acutifolium (Fabaceae) is a species potentially suitable for dendrochronological studies in the tropical dry forests of Chiquitania. In the community of Palmarito de la Frontera (Santa Cruz department, Eastern Bolivia) 69 radii from 21 trees were analyzed to determine their ages and mean annual growth rates. The maximum age of the M. acutifolium trees sampled was 108 years and the minimum 45 years, with individuals ranging from 20-70 cm in diameter. The mean age to reach a diameter of 40 cm is 70 years. The mean annual growth rate is 0.58 cm/year. Trees of this species require between 15 and 20 years to surpass a diameter class of 10 cm. The annual growth rate and the times required to reach a diameter >40cm, indícate that M. acutifolium needs three fold more time than that currently established by Law 1700. There is an immediate need to reverse forest policies aimed at the use and management of native tropical forests. Sustainable forest management should consider the actual growth capacity of each species and the ages at which they reach a certain diameter in tropical dry forests.

Keywords : Biological growth; Bolivian Chiquitania; Dendrochronology; Growth rate; Radial growth.

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