Disturbance has been implicated in the formation of vegetation dominated by large Attalea species . In seasonally dry Amazonian forests the density of large adult A. maripa palms was correlated with canopy openness ; the species also dominates savannas formed by repeated forest fires in Trinidad and Tobago . Attalea speciosa forms pure stands in many parts of Brazil where natural forest vegetation has been cleared . Similarly , stands of A. funifera in Bahia , Brazil ( which are cultivated for piassava fibre ) are managed using fire — the seedlings survive cutting and burning , and are able to dominate burned forest patches .