Dinámica de crecimiento del bosque andino Washapamba, cantón Saraguro, provincia de Loja, Ecuador

Abstract

Andean forests, located along the Andes Mountains, are home to an extraordinary wealth of flora and fauna. The study was conducted in the Washapamba Forest to evaluate the growth dynamics of forest and tree species over a six-year period. The permanent one-hectare plot evaluated was established in 2018, and trees with DBH ≥ 5 cm were recorded. New measurements of DBH, total height, mortality, and entry were taken in 2024. Mortality, recruitment, dynamism, and average annual and periodic growth rates in DBH, height, basal area, and volume were calculated. In 2018, 1,134 individuals were recorded; in 2024, 1,004, belonging to 55 species, 38 genera, and 26 families. The mortality rate was 3.83%, with 233 individuals killed, and a recruitment rate of 103 individuals, representing a rate of 1.80%, resulting in a dynamism of 2.82%. The average growth in diameter was 0.0277 m; in height 1.31 m, in basal area 0.0079 m2, and in volume 0.074 m3. Solanum hypacrathum recorded the greatest growth in diameter; Vismia baccifera stood out in basal area and volume. The Washapamba Andean forest presents an active dynamic, with significant losses of individuals, variability in growth, and local extinction of Viburnum triphyllum, highlighting its vulnerability and the need for conservation and adaptive management strategies.