Diameter Structure, Spatial Pattern, and Management Scenarios of Acapu Trees: A Case Study

Abstract

We investigated the spatial distribution of population data and diameter classes and modeled the diameter structure of Vouacapoua americana Aubl. (Acapu) trees in a community forest management area. A forest census of trees with diameters ≥ 33 cm was carried out in the 2015 Annual Production Unit (APU-2015). Ripley’s univariate K function and the global Moran’s index were used to describe spatial autocorrelation. Three harvest intensities (50, 70, and 80%) were simulated for the potential trees. The Weibull (3P) function provided the best performance to describe the diameter distribution of the original tree population, as well as in the harvested 50 and 70% intensities. In general, the spatial pattern of V. americana was aggregated. However, other natural factors, as population size, dynamics, geographic distribution, should be used as indicators for forest management and conservation of the specie.