This study was conducted in a secondary urban patch of dry semideciduous forest in the campus of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais state. The stratum was sampled in 15 plots of 5 × 5 m, where all individuals with height ≥ 1 m and dbh < 5 cm (dbh: diameter at breast height at 1.30 m) were measured. We sampled 487 individuals belonging to 45 species. The species of greatest importance value were the exotic Syzygium jambos (22.06%) and the pioneer Miconia latecrenata (14.75%). The Shannon diversity index (H') was 2.65 nats.ind- 1 and the Pielou evenness (J) was 0.69. The pioneer group was the most important ecological group of species (57.7% of species and 41.1% of individuals). The significant density of the exotic species S. jambos, the low species diversity, and the high density of the pioneer group indicate a tree community with difficulties to progress to more advanced stages.
forest regeneration; forest succession; urban forest