ABSTRACT

Prosopis ferox (P. ferox) forests constitute an important floristic community in the intermontane arid valleys of northwestern rural Argentina. In the Quebrada de Humahuaca, P. ferox forests have been widely used as local sources of fuel and wood for rural construction. The fruits and leaves of P. ferox represent a major source of fodder for caprine and ovine cattle. The impacts of anthropogenic activity in the region are therefore reflected in the morphology and structure of the remnant forest. In Argentina, P. ferox grows between 2600 and 3800 masl in arid environments from the northern sector of the Calchaquí Valley, Salta, the Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy, and the Río Grande de San Juan Valley on the border between Jujuy and Bolivia. The information on demographic changes and stocking rates was compiled from the National Population Censuses beginning in 1869 and the National Agropecuarian Censuses beginning in 1908.