Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Part I General perspectives
- Part II Regional floristic and animal diversity
- Part III Hydrometeorology of tropical montane cloud forest
- Part IV Nutrient dynamics in tropical montane cloud forests
- Part V Cloud forest water use, photosynthesis, and effects of forest conversion
- Part VI Effects of climate variability and climate change
- Part VII Cloud forest conservation, restoration, and management issues
- 62 Environmental history and forest regeneration dynamics in a degraded valley of north-west Argentina's cloud forests
- 63 Impact of deforestation and forest regrowth on vascular epiphyte diversity in the Andes of Bolivia
- 64 Ecology and use of old-growth and recovering montane oak forests in the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica
- 65 Forest restoration in the tropical montane cloud forest belt of central Veracruz, Mexico
- 66 Ecological and social bases for the restoration of a High Andean cloud forest: preliminary results and lessons from a case study in northern Ecuador
- 67 Biodiversity-based livelihoods in the ceja andina forest zone of northern Ecuador: multi-stakeholder learning processes for the sustainable use of cloud forest areas
- 68 Embracing epiphytes in sustainable forest management: a pilot study from the Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico
- 69 Fire dynamics and community management of fire in montane cloud forests in south-eastern Mexico
- 70 Assessment needs to support the development of arrangements for Payments for Ecosystem Services from tropical montane cloud forests
- 71 Conservation strategies for montane cloud forests in Costa Rica: the case of protected areas, payments for environmental services, and ecotourism
- References
69 - Fire dynamics and community management of fire in montane cloud forests in south-eastern Mexico
from Part VII - Cloud forest conservation, restoration, and management issues
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 May 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Part I General perspectives
- Part II Regional floristic and animal diversity
- Part III Hydrometeorology of tropical montane cloud forest
- Part IV Nutrient dynamics in tropical montane cloud forests
- Part V Cloud forest water use, photosynthesis, and effects of forest conversion
- Part VI Effects of climate variability and climate change
- Part VII Cloud forest conservation, restoration, and management issues
- 62 Environmental history and forest regeneration dynamics in a degraded valley of north-west Argentina's cloud forests
- 63 Impact of deforestation and forest regrowth on vascular epiphyte diversity in the Andes of Bolivia
- 64 Ecology and use of old-growth and recovering montane oak forests in the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica
- 65 Forest restoration in the tropical montane cloud forest belt of central Veracruz, Mexico
- 66 Ecological and social bases for the restoration of a High Andean cloud forest: preliminary results and lessons from a case study in northern Ecuador
- 67 Biodiversity-based livelihoods in the ceja andina forest zone of northern Ecuador: multi-stakeholder learning processes for the sustainable use of cloud forest areas
- 68 Embracing epiphytes in sustainable forest management: a pilot study from the Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico
- 69 Fire dynamics and community management of fire in montane cloud forests in south-eastern Mexico
- 70 Assessment needs to support the development of arrangements for Payments for Ecosystem Services from tropical montane cloud forests
- 71 Conservation strategies for montane cloud forests in Costa Rica: the case of protected areas, payments for environmental services, and ecotourism
- References
Summary
ABSTRACT
Wildfires are occurring with increasing frequency and extent in montane cloud forests (MCF) worldwide. Fires in MCF pose challenges with respect to both fire behavior and organization of suppression efforts that are often unique from other forest types. This chapter assesses the technical and organizational aspects involved in suppressing severe wildfires occurring in MCF in southern Mexico during the 1998 El Niño Southern Oscillation. In particular, it highlights the valuable lessons learned about fire suppression techniques for the extreme fire behavior observed for these MCF ecosystems (both subterranean and crown fires), and on approaches toward organizing fire suppression efforts and preventing fire occurrence that involve local community participation. Given the importance of human activities in driving fire dynamics in typically ever-wet MCF, it is suggested that integrating local community-based and external government-based fire management approaches is critical to effective fire protection and suppression in MCF regions. The chapter offers various specific recommendations for achieving such integration.
INTRODUCTION
The perception that montane cloud forests (MCFs) are resistant to fire was shattered in 1998 when widespread fires occurred in these ecosystems throughout south-eastern Mexico. Although these fires were proclaimed to be unprecedented events – shocking and surprising the nation, reaching global news, and eliciting international response – they were by far not the first reports of fire in MCFs.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Tropical Montane Cloud ForestsScience for Conservation and Management, pp. 659 - 670Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011