Study Area Location

Ejidos are best described as communal groups that live on rural lands held in a system of common management with involvement from various levels of government. More than 85% of forested land in Mexico is within the Ejido system. The Ejido system is the result of land redistribution initiatives originating in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1915) when hacienda lands were expropriated and distributed to the peasants or ejidotarios.

Ejido El Largo, located in the north-west part of Chihuahua produces 20% of the states lumber predominately pine and oak (Forest Pictures). El Largo is bordered by the Sierra Madre Mountains and is within the Rio Grande basin and a primary area of interest for non-governmental organizations advocating green certification and sustainable forest management. El Largo is headed by a Commissariate consisting of a president, treasurer and secretary elected from the ejidotario. Professional management for El Largo is conducted by a forestry unit of professional foresters and forest technicians. UCODEFO #2, headed by Alfonso Dominguez, is the consultant group that manages Ejido El Largo. El Largo is considered one of the best organized Ejido’s in the state showing continuous efforts and innovation and professional management. El Largo has a good knowledge base of forest production capability and inventory on the forest and a GIS system established with the assistance of the US Forest Service. While Ejido’s have traditionally focused, and been authorized to managed predominantly for timber and agricultural activities, there is growing recognition of the need for economic diversification (e.g., tourism) and of non-timber forest values in general. The enthusiasm expressed by both the Commissariate and the Forestry Unit of El Largo for involvement in activities such as sustainable forest monitoring in addition to their size in power in the timber market led to the selection of Ejido El Largo as the pilot test forest for local level C&I monitoring.