Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

It is thus seen that more than three-fourths of
the land surface of Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands is bare of trees. Far more than this has
been deforested at one time or another.
The cuttin of the forests, done partly to harvest
their timber % ut more generally to clear land for
farming, took place primarily in the 19th centur .
It eliminated tree growth from the more ferti f e
and accessible lands. The remaining trees are located
chiefly on steep slopes, rocky mountain summits,
or where excessive shallo~vness, dryness? or
wetness of the soil precludes economic farmin .
Thus the best developed forests have disappeare g .
Most of the forests remaining are those which reappeared
after farming was abandoned on these
poor lands.
The remaining forests are nearly all very different
from those found by the early voxageurs. The
most valuable trees, both as to species and as to
size, have been removed. Few trees exceed 12
inches in diameter. Most of these nre of species
unused for purposes other than fuel, and thus of
negligible value. These larger trees of inferior,
quality tend to suppress the deyelopment of any
younger trees of more valuable species which may
be owing beneath them.
fnumber of the introduced exotic tree species
have become naturalized in the forests of the
islands, now appearing as though native. Common
naturalized species in the humid forests of
Puerto Rico include pomarrosa (Bugenin jambos),
emajagua (Hibiscus tgiaceus) , almendra (Terminulia
catappa) , bucayo gigante (Eqthrinn
poeppigianu) , and tuliptin africano ( Spathodea
campanulatu). On the dry southwestern coast of
Puerto Rico bayahonda (Prosopia futiflora) has
become naturalized in pastures. In the United
States Virgin Islands an outstandin naturalized
tree in the forests (particularly in f5t. Croix) is
Dominican mahogany (Szuietenia mahagmi) and
in pastures, tibet (Albizia Zebbek) .
FOREST CONSERVATION
The trees and forests of Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands are a valuable asset. The orna-
mental value of trees around homes along the
roadsides and in parks is apparent to all. Tree
fruits provide valuable foods and important items
of commerce. Forested areas in the mountains
or along beaches offer peaceful shady environment
for outdoor recreation and on each of the islands
constitute important tourist attractions
Not so apparent nny more is the value of the
forests for the timber they supply. The best
trees have been cut long since, so this contribution
from the forest is no longer what it was. The use
of wood in construction and charcoal for cooking
is declining in the face of substitute materials.
However, the forests do continue to supply numer-
ous products, such as posts, which are of utility
in farming regions.
The least obvious of the values of our forests
is as important as any other, their capacity to conser17e
soil and water resources. This protective
benefit from forest is unexcelled by any other
crop. The forest litter seduces surface runoff and
erosion. The porous soil beneath forests retains
its maximum capacity to absorb rain water-water
tvhich may then appear gradually through clear
springs rather than in the form of muddy torrents.
The importance of the trees and forests of
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands is not so much
a matter of their present contribution as it is a
question of what they might contribute. Past cutting
of trees and land clearing have reduced these
resources to a fraction of their potential. In
recognition of the possibility of enhancing local
forest resources, several conservation measures
have been taken. A brief history of this activity,
confined largely to Puerto Rico, IS presented here.
There is little record of actual accomplishments
in forest conservation in Puerto Rico prior to
1900. Sixteenth century S anish laws, reflecting
the scarcity of forests in b pain, were 6enerally
unrealistic for the completely forested lsland of
Puerto Rico. Clearing of forests for farming was
then needed, rather than preservation of the
forests.
Possibly the first indication of official interest
in forest conservation within Puerto Rico was a
government circular of 1824 recommending that
strips of trees be left along and at the source
of streams (34). The first appropriation of public
funds for forestry in Puerto Rico is recorded
for 1860 (St?). Public forest reserves were established
in 1876 (7), and a forest department existed
in the colonial government during the rest of that
century. The extent and condition of the island's
forest resources, as described at the end of the century,
testify that conservation efforts to that time
mere not very effective.
The first step toward forest conservation in
Puerto Rico during the present century was the
proclamation of the Luquillo Forest Reserve in
1903. This area wt~s surveyed in 1916 and proved
to contain about 12,400 acres. The United States
Forest Service appointed a supervisor to administer
this forest in 1917. In the same year the
Puerto Rico Forest Service was established and by
1920 was responsible for the protection of more
than 26,000 acres of unalienated forest lands in the
mangroves, at Guiinica and Maricao, and on Mona
Island.
Forestry activities wem materially expanded
\\-it,h the advent of the Civilian Conservation
Corps in 1935. Since that time the area of Federal
forest lands has increased to about 28,000
acres, and the Common~~ealth now administers
about another 50,000 acres.
The public forests of Puerto Rico have been
placed under protection, improved, and put to use.
Boundaries have been identified and rqonumented,
and roads and ranger stations have een built
A'