This study was carried out in "Mata da Câmara", a fragment of a seasonal semideciduous forest, in São Roque - SP, Brazil. The objective of the present work was to identify and analyze the silvatic mosaic, by discussing its current architectural aspects and inferring about its construction dynamics. The line-intercept inventory method was used in three 50 x 105 m areas. The results showed that percentages of the area occupied by 2A steady-state eco-units, were 46.8%, 48.6%, and 75.7% for areas A, B and C respectively. It can be concluded that there is a young forest in area A; a pre-mature forest with signs of both recent and old disturbances in area B, and in area C a mature forest with signs of old disturbances. Compared with the results of other phytosociological researches carried out in the same area, this analysis showed to be an important tool for the discussion of forest dynamics, though in some cases the mosaic silvatic analysis tended to overestimate the level of forest maturity. It can be stated that among the remaining seasonal forests in the state of São Paulo, "Mata da Câmara" represents a patch of a relatively well-preserved forest.
Forest fragments; tropical seasonal forest; São Roque; silvatic mosaic
