Michoacán is traversed by the trans-volcanic belt, with elevations reaching 13 thousand feet above sea-level. Upper elevation slopes, originally covered by large expanses of pine forests, with Oyamel fir on the highest peaks, have been heavily cleared for agriculture, mainly family or rural community plots of corn.

The remaining forests provide cooking fuel and building materials for local communities. Recently, large-scale commercial harvesting (both legal and illegal) has added an immense pressure on these already degraded forests. Unless massive reforestation is undertaken, the area is likely to proceed toward desertification, as have some of México’s historical forests. Continued unabated degradation of Michoacán’s forests has important negative consequences for the global environment.