Forest fires in the Sierra de Catorce and local actions to combat them in the ejido La Presa, Villa de Guadalupe, San Luis Potosi

The objectives are to identify and analyze the presence of forest fires in the period 2010-2017 in the Sierra de Catorce and the local actions carried out in the ejido La Presa during the occurrence of forest fires. Official documents, norms and laws that regulate their attention were reviewed. The occurrence of forest fires in the 2010-2017 historical series issued by CONAFOR was reviewed and compared with the density of hot spots. Local newspapers that reported the occurrence of fires in the study area were reviewed and fifteen unstructured interviews were applied to ejidatarios. It was found that 74% of the fires in the study area were generated by anthropogenic activities. It was concluded that, although the Potosi highlands do not appear as an area of special attention for fire prevention and combat, fires occur mostly during low water periods and that the ejidatarios are the main actors in local practices to combat forest fires.