Mesquite: A multi-purpose species in two locations of San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Abstract

The mesquite woodland distributed in approximately 200,000 ha in Llanos de Angostura, and Pozo del Carmen, San Luis Potosi, represents a main source of firewood, construction material, honey, and forage for the rural people that inhabit part of the lowlands of the hydrological region RH26 and RH37. Firewood collection in this region averages 142 m3 /week. Most of this wood is used by brick makers to fuel the kilns, and for domestic purposes (i.e., cooking and heating). Mesquite pod yields fluctuate by year. A three-year study, sampling pod production in two native stands located in Llanos de Angostura having 75 trees ha-' (29 trees less than 15 cm and 46 trees greater than 15 cm in basal diameter) and Pozos del Carmen, with 450 trees ha-' greater than 15 cm in basal diameter, indicated an annual pod yield of 500 to 900 kg ha-'. Livestock industry is the major consumer of mesquite pods as forage and occasionally local people consume it boiled or grilled as candies. The mesquite gum as a substitute of the Arabic gum represents a potential economical income for the rural people of this region. Even though mesquite gum is generally produced under abnormal conditions (i.e., very dry episodes) the region has the potential to produce at least 10 metric tons of gum per year. A long-term management strategy of the mesquite woodlands in San Luis Potosi is necessary to establish silvicultural management techniques based on structure of the vegetation, pod production, and rates of growth. Currently, a project is being carried out to develop techniques for reforestation of mesquite in semiarid areas, and carry out thinnings of suppressed trees, and branch pruning on native young stands to evaluate its behavior in growth. Mesquite woodlands in San Luis Potosi continue to be destroyed and more careful management needs to be done to ensure future production and watershed protection of this resource.

Parent Publication

• Land Stewardship in the 21st Century: The Contributions of Watershed Management; 2000 March 13-16; Tucson, AZ

Citation

Villanueva-Diaz, Jose; Hernandez-Reyna, Augustin; Ramirez-Garcia, J. Armando. 2000. Mesquite: A multi-purpose species in two locations of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. In: Ffolliott, Peter F.; Baker Jr., Malchus B.; Edminster, Carleton B.; Dillon, Madelyn C.; Mora, Karen L., tech. coords. Land Stewardship in the 21st Century: The Contributions of Watershed Management; 2000 March 13-16; Tucson, AZ. Proc. RMRS-P-13. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 268-272.