The general consensus of opinion is that fire is one of the most important factors influencing the development of forest ecosystems. However, many people emphasise its negative aspects, particularly as a factor of deforestation (Van Wagner, 1990; Fuller, 1991). Fire can affect forest vegetation and soil. The latter is rapidly destroyed by fire, resulting in chemical and physical reactions, which, moreover, affect ground water retention, bacteriological balance, fauna, and small animal life. The consequences of this are not only short-term but also, and more importantly fire could affect the forest ecosystems in the medium and even in the long-term (Chautrand, 1982; Chandler, et al, 1983b). If we know how fire works in a natural ecosystem, we can define under which conditions fire can have positive effects. Thus we can apply fire, in a given stand, to achieve certain objectives (Wells et al, 1979; Hudson and Salazar, 1981). However, prescribed fires are used without a well definition of their potential ecological effects. For example, very few is known in México regarding the relation of fire regimes and the vegetation type defined. This is also related to a lack of knowledge on the effects of fire on biodiversity and productivity. As a consequence, the use of fire in many Mexican ecosystems remains controversial, as it was observed in other latitudes (Williams et al, 1994). This is remarked if we consider that there are very fragile ecosystems, such as subtropical mountain, where very few has been documented related to the influence of forest fires on vegetation (Jardel et al 2003).

Autor(es): Jardel P., E. J. and Flores G., J.G.

Fire regimes and vegetation.