Considering that the regimes of burning modify important factors of the structure and composition of the species of a plant community, the objective of this work was to analyze the effect of burning on the floristic composition and structure of the wood vegetation of the cerrado sensu stricto at the Parque Estadual da Serra de Caldas Novas (PESCAN), Goiás, submitted to different times of burning. Two areas had been used of Cerrado sensu stricto: one was submitted to burning in 2002 and 2006 and the other area did not suffer burning in the same period. For each area, 25 parcels of 20x20 m were established and all the wood flora (C30>15 cm) was included in the study. Both areas studied presented similar floristic composition, evidenced by the Sorensen Coefficient, which found 84% of similarity in the floristic composition between the areas. However, the vegetation structure presented relevant differences, evidenced by the Similarity´s Index of Bray Curtis, which found a value of 0,67. This value was reflected by changes in the studied communities' structure. The burnt area presented a smaller number of individuals and species, a smaller value for the basal area and, therefore, the Shannon Diversity Index (H') and Evenness (J'). Therefore, the frequency and intensity of the burnings in the area had not been enough to evidence their effects on the process of alteration in the composition of the wood species. However, the fire exerted a relevant role in the modification of the vegetation structure.
Burning; Parque Estadual da Serra de Caldas Novas; phytossociology
