Big-Leaf Mahogany is the most important commercial timber species of the tropics. Current debate concerning whether to protect it as an endangered species has been hampered by the lack of complete, definitive scientific documentation. This book reports on vital research on the ecology of big-leaf mahogany, including genetic variations, regeneration, natural distribution patterns and the silvicutural and trade implications for the tree.

Inhalt

Preface: Knowledge--and Conserving Mahogany * Mahogany: Tree of the Future * Genetic Variation in Natural Mahogany Populations in Bolivia * Twenty Mahogany Provenances under Different Conditions in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands * Hurricane Damage to Mahogany Crowns Associated with Seed Source * A New Mesoamerican Collection of Big Leaf Mahogany * Photosynthetic Response of Hybrid Mahogany Grown Under Contrasting Light Regimes * Comparative Analysis of the Nutritional Status of Mahogany Plantations in Puerto Rico * Growth-, Water-, and Nutrient-Related Plasticity in Hybrid Mahogany Leaf Development Under Contrasting Light Regimes * Mahogany Regeneration and Growth in Mexico's Yucatan Forests * Regeneration of Big-Leaf Mahogany in Closed and Logged Forests of Southeastern Para, Brazil * Effects of Large-Scale Flooding on Regeneration of Big-Leaf Mahogany in the Bolivian Amazon * Regeneration After Hurricane Disturbance of Big-Leaf and Hybrid Mahogany Plantations in Puerto Rico * Silvicultural Systems for Big-Leaf Mahogany Plantations * Enrichment Planting of Big-Leaf Mahogany and Spanish Cedar in Quintana Roo, Mexico * Structure and Dynamics of Mahogany Plantations in Puerto Rico * Mahogany Planting and Research in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands * Fifty-nine Year Performance of Planted Big-Leaf Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) in Puerto Rico * Wood Densities of Mahoganies in Puerto Rican Plantations * Evaluation of Four Taungya Permanent Big-Leaf Mahogany Plots, Aged - Years, in Belize * Growth of Small-Leaf Mahogany Crop Trees in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands * Taxonomy, Ecology and Control of Hypsipyla Shoot Borers of Meliaceae * Resistance in Mahoganies to Hypsiplya grandella * Epilogue: Recent Literature on Big-Leaf Mahogany