Tree-ring–based diameter growth data for Rhizophora mangle in the Colombian Caribbean

Cispatá Bay, located in the Colombian Caribbean, hosts the country’s only mangrove under a regulated sustainable use model. Yet, current management guidelines rely on generalized silvicultural criteria, which do not reflect species-specific growth dynamics, potentially compromising sustainability. This study aims to improve sustainable forest management in Cispatá Bay by developing species-specific growth models for Rhizophora mangle, a dominant and heavily harvested species. We used tree-ring data from 26 dead individuals to evaluate diameter growth, and applied nonlinear mixed- effects modeling, accounting for autocorrelation and growth eccentricity. The resulting models yielded biologically meaningful ontogenetic traits and silvicultural parameters, including a maximum mean diameter, a weighted average growth rate, a lifespan, and a halflife.位于哥伦比亚加勒比海海域的西斯帕塔湾（Cispatá Bay），拥有该国唯一采用监管型可持续利用模式的红树林（mangrove）。然而，当前的管理指南仅依赖通用营林标准，未能体现物种特异性的生长动态特征，或对可持续性造成潜在威胁。本研究旨在为正红树（Rhizophora mangle）——该区域优势种且被大量采伐的物种——构建物种特异性生长模型，以此提升西斯帕塔湾的森林可持续经营水平。研究团队利用26株枯立木的年轮数据评估直径生长量，并采用考虑自相关性与生长偏心性的非线性混合效应模型开展分析。所构建的模型输出了具有生物学意义的个体发育特征与营林参数，包括最大平均直径、加权平均生长速率、寿命以及半衰期。