Sanitary Logging in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve: One Problem, One Legislation but Different Criteria and Different Treatments

Abstract

Bark beetles are small insects that inhabit the bark of trees. When their population increases excessively, they can weaken the trees and cause their death. In México, federal regulations obligate forest landowners to carry out sanitary logging to control bark beetle outbreaks in adherence to official procedures. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is located on the border of two states that show a clear contrast in the incidence of reported outbreaks. During 2009–2021, the Michoacán side accounted for an incidence rate of 41 outbreaks/km2 of forest, while in the Estado de México side, it was 1.5 outbreaks/km2. That difference cannot be attributed solely to climate and physiographic conditions. The objective of this work was to identify the technical and administrative procedures followed by local and governmental actors in both states to carry out sanitary logging. We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews, transcribed and coded using MAXQDA, for an interpretative qualitative analysis. We found that the contrast is mainly contingent on the criteria used to define an active outbreak that necessitates sanitation. In Michoacán, a single tree with bark beetles is enough to get a sanitary logging notification, which authorizes the timber extraction that is then executed by a sawmill. In the Estado de México, an active outbreak is a group of three or more infested trees, and sanitary logging is executed by the forest landowners. These discrepancies highlight legal inadequacies in the management of bark beetles. It is imperative to develop more comprehensive strategies for forest health management, rather than relying solely on sanitary logging, which could be influenced by interests beyond those of conservation.