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The study presents an analysis of forest spatial structure and diversity in the Federal State of Durango where the majority of the forests consist of pure pine stands or pine mixed with oak. Natural forests of greater diversity and of high ecological significance are found only in a few isolated localities in the Santa Bárbara valley. These forests, with rare conifers including the genera Picea, Abies and Pseudotsuga are found on particular sheltered, humid sites. For one such rare site, a detailed analysis of forest spatial structure was made, based on three one-quarter hectare plots where all the trees and their coordinates had been assessed. The objective of the study was to provide a quantitative description of the spatial structure of the plots, using new parameters of spatial diversity and to present a method for comparative analysis of the three forest sites. The analysis is using a new approach for describing complex forest …