While forests remain forests: A 30-year community commitment in Mexico

Across many regions of the world, community forests face a shared challenge: how to remain economically viable without compromising the ecosystems that sustain them. Short-term harvesting can generate immediate income, but it often weakens the long-term future of both the forest and the communities that depend on it.

The case of Ejido Salto de Camellones in the state of Durango, Mexico, offers a different perspective. Over several decades, this community has demonstrated that long-term thinking, supported by clear rules and market access, can turn a forest into a stable and diversified productive asset.

A forest managed over time, not depleted

Forest management in Salto de Camellones did not begin with certification. The community has been working its forest since the 1970s, building local knowledge and governance systems around its use. Certification came later, as a structural improvement: it helped formalize practices, strengthen planning processes, and connect the ejido to more stable markets.

Today, the ejido manages 11,903 hectares of forest under responsible forest management. This area has remained practically unchanged over time. Adjustments have focused on operational planning rather than expansion. The forest remains the same asset it was decades ago: standing and productive. 

Consistent production aligned with forest regeneration

Timber production remains a central economic activity for the ejido. Instead of maximizing short-term yields, harvesting levels are aligned with the forest’s regenerative capacity.

In recent years, the annual harvest volume has remained within a consistent range, averaging close to 14,000 cubic meters per year, without abrupt peaks or forced growth. The relevance of this figure lies not in its magnitude, but in its stability over time: the forest continues to generate income without reducing its productive base.

This approach is sustained through five-year management cycles, which allow for evaluation, adjustments, and the prevention of irreversible impacts.

Diversifying beyond timber

Like any resilient economic model, Salto de Camellones has sought to reduce its dependence on a single income source. In recent years, the ejido has incorporated complementary activities that strengthen the local economy without increasing pressure on the forest.

One example is a multi-year ecosystem services sponsorship focused on water, supported by the food and beverage company Herdez. This initiative began in the Topia ejido and, after positive results were observed in forest and water health community wellbeing, and employment generation, the company decided to expand its support. In 2025, the sponsorship reached Salto de Camellones.

At the same time, the ejido participates in active carbon projects linked to forest management. These projects have already generated carbon credit sales and maintain committed inventory for future transactions, integrating ecosystem services as an additional income source without changing land use or increasing harvesting levels.

Women-led value chains and international markets

Diversification has also opened new opportunities within the community. Since 2019, 14 women artisans from Salto de Camellones have participated in Profoarte, a collective formed by women from different ejidos in Durango who produce handicrafts from non-timber forest products.

This activity generates additional income compatible with local livelihoods, allowing women to work from their communities while adding value to forest resources. Profoarte products have reached international markets through participation in Artigiano in Fiera, one of Milan’s most important craft and design fairs, where the group has taken part in two editions with successful sales and engagement with potential buyers.

These initiatives demonstrate how community forest management can go beyond raw materials, incorporating design, cultural identity, and market innovation.

Governance, financing, and verification

Behind this long-term model lies a strong governance structure and technical support system. A key actor in this process has been Unidad de Conservación y Desarrollo Forestal Integral Topia (UCDFI Topia), which has accompanied the ejido both in forest certification processes and in the development and financing of complementary projects.

Through the structuring of initiatives and the mobilization of resources from civil society organizations and public institutions, UCDFI Topia has helped translate responsible forest management into concrete economic opportunities for the community.

Certification under FSC standards has functioned as an enabling system – providing independent verification, clear management rules, and market credibility that support long-term planning and decision-making.

Maintaining balance for a long-term vision

Three decades on, the forest in Salto de Camellones still stands – managed, productive, and central to the life of the community.

The value created here does not come from accelerating use, but from maintaining balance. Income flows without eroding the assets. New opportunities emerge without increasing pressure.

While forests remain forests, communities remain rooted. And long-term thinking becomes tangible.