Abstract

Although extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is considered an ecologically sustainable source of income, NTFP populations are vulnerable to depletion. The community of Alta Cima in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas, Mexico, has conducted enrichment plantings of Chamaedorea radicalis, an important NTFP in northeastern Mexico, in forest areas near the village to supplement wild populations and increase the sustainability of harvesting. To gain an understanding of planting methods that will maximize the value of enrichment plantings, we assessed microsite environmental conditions to determine which factors aid establishment, growth, and survival of seedlings. We assessed two methods of seed planting. In 2006 and 2007, we measured seedlings in areas planted with seeds and seedling transplants in 2003 and measured several micro-environmental parameters. Sites with fewer overhead foliage layers had higher seedling establishment, growth, and one-year survival (seedling transplants only). Seedlings located at farther distances from saplings or trees had longer leaves (seedlings planted as seed) or a greater number of leaves (seedling transplants). Seedling transplants had higher survival to four years, but the labor costs of planting seedling transplants were five times greater per surviving seedling. These results suggest that the best management practice of C. radicalis enrichment plantings is direct seeding in areas with high light availability.

Key words: Chamaedorea radicalis, enrichment planting, non-timber forest products, El cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas.