Vegetation structure in a hard-to-reach Tropical Dry Forest patch in the Colombian Caribbean Region

Due to the current state of Tropical Dry Forests (TDF) of Colombia, the vegetal characterisation of a patch of a TDF is important when constructing restoration plans or gathering information for future legal processes to protect areas, like the case of Reserva Campesina La Flecha, a preserved patch of TDF which is not under national environmental protection which is located in the Montes de Maria ecoregion. This area is home to the best-preserved TDF in the Colombian Caribbean. Ten plots of 10x10 (0.1 hectares) according to the methodology proposed by Gentry for tropical forest. Fourteen (14) orders, 28 families, 54 genera, 59 species, and 150 individuals were recorded, with Fabaceae being the richest family in terms of genera and species. The vertical and horizontal structures had an attenuation behaviour in the form of an inverted ‘J’, which reflects early recruitment processes and a low number of large trees. The average tree height was 8.5 m, which may be a consequence of anthropogenic processes resulting from human activities by cattle ranchers and farmers in the sector, in conjunction with practices such as the construction of and selective extraction of trees, modifying the structure and plant richness of the patch.