Endemic to southeastern Mexico where the population is severely fragmented as a result of deforestation
Distribution
Native to Mexico in the States of: Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz.
Population is decreasing and is severely fragmented.
Habitat and Ecology
Both varieties of this species occur in high mountains of sub-tropical S Mexico, at elevations between 2500 to 3000 metres above sea-level. The soils are of volcanic origin. The climate is cool, moist oceanic, with rain mostly in the winter. There are some pure stands at the highest elevations, but this species is usually mixed with highland pines, e.g. Pinus montezumae, P. pseudostrobus, and P. ayacahuite, and also with Cupressus lusitanica and Quercus spp. Shrubs are e.g. Vaccinium spp., Andromeda spp., Ribes spp. and Fuchsia spp.
Human Uses
This species is rare and its two varieties occur in more or less disjunct, limited stands. Exploitation for timber is minor and its use is local, mainly worked in sawmills for domestic purposes. In cultivation it is extremely rare and limited to some dendrological collections in countries with mild climate, e.g. southern France.
Conservation Status
Global status
Endangered B2ab(ii,iii,v)
Global rationale
The assessment of the species as a whole follows that of the two varieties: while the EOO increases with all mapped locations included, the calculated AOO is still well under 500 km² and there is likely to be continuous decline, especially in quality of habitat and number of mature individuals.
Global threats
Logging may have some impact on this species, but data to evaluate this quantitatively are lacking. For the 1998 CSG assessment it was assumed that a 20% decline had occurred over the duration of 3 generations (about a century). Deforestation in the region is an ongoing process, which affects Abies as a late successional tree more than e.g. Pinus, so it is considered that the decline is continuing.
Conservation Actions
More forest reserves with effective management and policing would be required to protect this species from decline.
References and further reading
Ávila B, C H, Aguirre J, & García E (1994). Variación estructural del bosque de oyamel (A. hickelii Flous & Gaussen) en relación con factores ambientales en el Pico de Orizaba, México. Investigación Agraria.Sistemas y Recursos Forestales 3: 5-17.
Ávila B, C.H. & López Mata, L. (2001). Distribución y análisis estructural de Abies hickelii (Flous & Gaussen) en México. Interciencia 26(6):244-251
Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.
Farjon, A. (2013). Abies hickelii. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. . Downloaded on 07 July 2013.
Stranby, U., K. Cristensen & Sorensen, M. (2009). A morphometric study of the Abies religiosa–hickelii–guatemalensis complex (Pinaceae) in Guatemala and Mexico. Plant Systematics and Evolution 260: 59-76.
