ARTICLES Lazaroa ISSN: 0210-9778 http://dx.doi.org/10.5209/LAZAROA.51054 ForesttypologyofbroadleafforestsfromSierraMaestra,EasternCuba OrlandoJ.Reyes 1 Received: 28January2015/Accepted:23March2016 Abstract. AphytosociologicalstudyoftheforestsfromSierraMaestraisconducted,followingthemethodologyof theZurich-MontpelierSchool.TheyaretransformedintoaforesttypologyusingthestandardsoftheInstituteofAgro- ForestryResearch.Ingeneral,35typesand/orsubtypesarepresented.Fromthisgroup,themostabundantonesbelong tosemi-deciduousmicrophyllforest,followedbythosefrommangrovesandmountainrainforest,respectively. Silviculturaltreatmentsareneeded;amongthem,theprotectionforestsarethosefoundabove800maslandman - groves. Keywords: Forests;foresttypology;SierraMaestra;EasternCuba. [es]TipologíaforestaldelosbosqueslatifoliosdelaSierraMaestra,CubaOriental Resumen. UtilizandolametodologíadelaEscuelaZürich-Montpellierserealizaunestudiofitocenológicodelos bosquesdelaSierraMaestra,elcualestransformadoenunaTipologíaForestalusandolosnormasdelInstitutode InvestigacionesAgro-Forestales.Engeneral,sepresentan35tiposy/osubtipos,deloscualeslosmásabundantes pertenecenalosbosquessemideciduosmicrófilos,siguiéndolelosmanglaresylapluvisilvamontana.Seprecisanlos tratamientossilvícolas,entreloscualesconstituyenbosquesdeprotecciónlosqueseencuentranporencimadelos800 msnmylosmanglares. Palabras clave: Bosques;Tipologíaforestal;SierraMaestra;CubaOriental. Introduction 2012).ThisshowsthesignificancetheCuban stategivestoforests. Forestsprovidemanygoodsandservicesto TheCubanforestareahasincreasedsignifi - humanity,mainlyrelatedtotheconservation cantly:froma13.4%ofdegradedforestsin ofbiodiversity,soilandwater.Inthecurrent 1959(RussóMilhet,2015),toa26.2%in2009 situationofclimatechangetheyalsoworkas (Alvarez& al .,2012)and28.6%in2014 carbonsinks,soitisessentialtheirconserva - (CITMA,2014;Parada&Torranzo,2014)in tionandsustainableuse.ThenumberofCuban relationtothesurfaceoftheCubanarchipelago. forestformationsdependsontheclassification Whilestudyingnature,itisimportantto recognizethesetofecologicalconditions used:Bisse(1988)identified16forestforma - (oecotope)thatareexpressedinthecharacte- tionslocatedthroughoutthecountry;while risticsofthevegetationanditsfloristiccom - Reyes(2011-2012)found23,forEasternCuba position.Foresttypologyisofgreatsignifi - (withsixsub types)and11,forSierrra cancewhentheresultsofsuchinterrelationship Maestra,withfoursubtypes(Reyes,2006). constituteinaparticulartypeofforest. TheforestrylawinCubacategorizedCuban Therefore,itisconsideredasforesttypology forestsasproducers,forconservationand thestudyofforestcommunitiesinitsrelation protective.The46.1%oftheCubanforest to environmentalconditions;sincethey heritageareprotectiv eareas,whilethe32.3% establish thequalityandproductivepotential arefortimberproduction(Alvarez& al ., oftheforeststations(sites).Alvarez&Varona 1 EasternCenterofEcosystemsandBiodiversity(BIOECO),MinistryofScience,TechnologyandEnvironment(CITMA),José A.SacoNr.601,esq.Barnada,SantiagodeCuba,[email protected] Lazaroa 37 2016: 43-103 43 44 Reyes O.J. Lazaroa 37 2016: 43-103 (1988)consideredasaforestsitetoalledaphic, ecosystemvalues,whichcontributetoforest clim aticandbioticfactorsthatdeterminethe typingandplanning. persistenceandintensityofbiomassproduc tion (grossprimaryproductivity)ofcertainfo rest community,beitnaturalorcreatedbyman. Materials and Methods Therearetwobasicmethodsforstudying forestsitesdependingontheenvironmental Natural conditions of the study area situation:withemphasisontheoecotope (Kopp,1965;Thomasius,1965;Schwanecke, SierraMaestra(Figure1)isaverycomplex 1970)orprioritizingvegetation(DelRisco, area,geologicallyspeaking.There,the 2000a,b;DelRisco&Samek,1984).The Palaeocene-Eocenevolcano-sedimentaryrocks methodthatprioritizestheoecotopeisrecom - oftheCobreGrouppredominate,mainly mendedinareaswherethevegetationhasbeen andesitesandtuffs(Mendez et al .,1994). destroyed,whiletheotherisappliedinsta - Relativelylargegranitesintrusivesoccurin tionswheretheexistingvegetationexpresses isolatedareasofthesouthernslope(around thepotentialofthatoecotope.Inthiswork,the Potrerilloriver,PinardelasCanas,LaFrancia, secondmethodisappliedbecauseitiscon - NimaNima,Juraguá-ElOlimpo,etc). ductedindevelopedvegetation,which, Likewise,theformationsMayaRiverand althoughitisoftensecondary,alsoexpresses Jaimanitasprevailinthecoastalareas(Com. theenvironmentalconditions,including CubanoHúngara,1976). Figure1. MainforeststypesinSierraMaestrarange(Cuba) From1500masl,theleachedyellowish acidstohighlyac idic(pHH 2O4.0-5.5)and ferralliticsoilpredominates.Accordingto theSvalueissmallerthan7cmol(+).kg -1 Renda(1989),thepHintheupperhorizonsis (Renda,1989;Renda& al .,1981b). fromacidtoveryacidic;itreachesvaluesof Sialliticbrownandfersialliticreddish- 4.45to5.3inwaterand3.5to4.15inClK. brownsoilsdominatethelowandpre-mountain Thesumofbasic cations(ChangeBases areas.Thesialliticbrownsoils(withoutcarbo- Capacity,CCB,Svalue)isverylow,generally nate)haveavariabledepth:theyusuallyhave rangingbetween1. 44and 5.02cmol(+).kg -1 . anSvaluerangingfrom13to18cmol(+).kg -1 Thecationexchangecapacity(CIC,Tvalue) onthesouthside,andfrom24to50cmol variesfrom2.5to18.75cmol(+).kg -1 .There (+).kg -1 (rarely)inthenorth,wheregen erally areverylowcontentofcalcium,magnesium havehighersaturation.Thesialliticbrown andpotassium.Beneaththissoil,toabout600 soils(withcarbonate)areabundantinthe ma.s.l,thesoilsaremainlyleachedredferra- northside,andtheyarericherandmoresatu - llitic,fromdeeptoverydeep,andoften ratedthantheabove.CCBisusuallybetween derivedfrom ferralliticweatheringcrustin 47and78cmol(+).kg -1 andtheCICranges moreorlessstableplaces.Theyarefrom from49to80cmol(+).kg -1 (Renda& al ., Reyes O.J. Lazaroa 37 2016: 43-103 45 1980,1981a,1981b,1982).Thefersiallitic Thecoastalandpre-coastalstrip,inthe reddish-brownsoilsoftenerodedandusually southofSierraMaestra,isoneofthemost withrockyoutcropsandstonesintheprofile, climaticallyextremeareasofCuba.Inthe haveanapproximatedSvalueof13cmol eastofSantiagodeCuba’sBay,theweather (+).kg -1 onthesouthernslope(Renda& al ., isbixeric.Theaveragerainfallhardlygoes 1980-81).Inthenorth,the yaresomewhatri- beyondthe700mmayear.Exceedingthe cher,whereintheCCBrangesfrom21to43 100mm,therainiestmonthsareMay, cmol(+).kg -1 .Theyaremainlyobservedin SeptemberandOctober;whilethedriest rocksfromtheCobreGroup. monthsareDecember,MarchandJuly,in Overthegranitoids,thereareusually whichrarelyexceed30mm.Therainydays gr ayishbrownsoils,sometimessandyand areusuallylessthan40peryear.Tothewest poor.TheirpHgoesfromslightlyacidicto ofthebay,rainincreasesgraduallytoabout acidic,withanSvalueof4to5cmol(+).kg -1 1200mminfrontofPicoTurquino,where inthefirsthorizon,andevenlowerbelowit. mountainsplungestraightintothesea.From Incoastallimestoneterraces,thevery thispoint,rainthengraduallydecreasesup shallowredsoils(rendzine)occupythefrac - to800mmnearCaboCruz. turesandcrevicesofthedogtoothrock.Ared TheairmeantemperatureinGranPiedra ferrallitics oilisobservedincoastalterraces, (1100masl)is18.4ºC;theaverageminimum limestonehillsandcumulativeplainsfrom is15.7ºCandtheaveragemaximum,22.4ºC. SierraMaestra’swesternmost.It’sCCBinthe OntopofPicoRealdelTurquino,theairmean firsthorizonis19cmol(+).kg -1 andtheT temperaturereachesaboutde13ºC valueis24.3cmol(+).kg -1 .Bothvalues (Montenegro,1991a).Onthenorthside, decreaseinthelowerhorizons(Renda& al ., aroundthe500and700masl,themeanannual 1981c). temperatureis20-22ºCintheupperparts InthehigherareasofSierraMaestra,it and22-24ºCinthelowest(Lapinel,1989). rainsbetween1600and2000mm,withaless Bycontrast,themeanannualtemperaturein rainyseasonfromNovembertoApril(Trusov thecoastalzonerangesfrom24-26ºC,with & al .,1983).Itisnoteworthythatcloudcon - anaveragemaximumof30-32ºC,andan densationisproducedbetween800and1200 averageminimumof22-24ºC(Montenegro, masl(horizontalprecipitation,moistshade, 1991b).Thedecreaseintemperatureper100 lowclouds).Hence,whenitoccurs,a100%of mofelevationinwesternSierraMaestrais relativehumidi tyisreached;sometimesit 0.62ºC,and0.66ºCinthenorthernand runsbythestem( BoytelYambú,1972).On southernsidesrespectively(Montenegro, average,inGranPiedra(weatherstationat 1991b). 1100masl)thereare239daysayearaffected AtthetopofSierradelaGranPiedra, byhorizontalprecipitation,ofwhich163days relativehumidityreacheshighlevels havedensefog,fromoctobertomayoccur20 throughouttheyear,fromjustover87%to daysormorepermonth(Montenegro,1990). about92%amongthedifferentmonths.At InthehigherpartsofwesternSierra 13:00h,ithasaminimumbetween80and Maestra,above1500masl,theinfluenceof 86%,andamaximum,at07:00h,from88to suchhorizontalprecipitationsisalmostdaily. 92%(Montenegro,1990). Themeanannual Airsaturation,however,isalmostlittle,even relativehumidityinCarsodeBaireisfrom withdensefog,whichisformedlowerdown 80to85%(Montenegro,1991c)andin andgoesupwiththewind.Theseconditions Contramaestre(bottom,northside),isof52 produceahightensiononthefoliage,which to60%.Inthecoastalarea,themeanannual mayturnitintomicrophyllandthedecompo - relativehumidityvariesfrom75and80%, sitionfromwitheredleavesisveryslow themeanannualat13.00hisfrom70to (Reyes&Fornaris,2011). 75%,andat07:00h,itisfrom80to85% InCarsodeBaire(northside),around500to (Lapinel,1989;Montenegro,1991c).In 700masl,themeanannualrainfallvariesfrom SantiagodeCuba(lowerpart,southern around1200mminthelesselevatedareasupto slope)itvariesbetween47and60%.At morethan1600mminthehighest(Gagua& 13:00h,suchhumidityincreaseswithalti - al .,1989).TheaveragerainfallinLaTabla(600 tudefromthebottomupto1400masl, masl)is1634mm,varyingfrom1216to2320