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Nolina cespitifera Trel. (Asparagaceae) is a non-timber endemic forestry resource of arid and semi-arid areas in northeastern Mexico, whose fiber has been used for over fifty years. Currently, remains fundamental for the subsistence of fiber collectors, being the main income for many families in rural areas. A high strength fiber is obtained from this species and used as raw material for making brooms in combination with broom sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). The intensive and continuous use to which the plant has been subjected, its low regeneration rate and prolonged droughts in the last three years, have led to the reduction of their populations and, thus, to shortage of raw material. Therefore, it is required to develop adequate management plans of natural populations to be adopted by fiber collectors, supported by the establishment of plantations and/or reforestation in order to recover and increase their populations, to have a rational and sustainable use and the availability of raw material for the direct benefit of the residents of northeastern Mexico. Also, these actions could help reduce erosion problems in the ecosystems where this species occurs.