Publication Information
Title: | The status of Puerto Rico's forests, 2003 |
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Author(s): | Brandeis, Thomas J.; Helmer, Eileen H.; Oswalt, Sonja N. |
Date: | 2007 |
Source: | Resour. Bull. SRS-119. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 72 p. |
Station ID: | RB-SRS-119 |
Description: | Puerto Ricos forest cover continues to increase and is now 57 percent for mainland Puerto Rico, 85 percent for Vieques, and 88 percent for Culebra. Subtropical dry forest occupies 50 346 ha, 6832 ha, 2591 ha, and 6217 ha on the islands of Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, and Mona, respectively. Subtropical moist forest, the most prevalent forested life zone on mainland Puerto Rico, had 49 percent forest cover or 258 861 ha of forest. Subtropical wet and rain forest occupies 161 503 ha, lower montane wet and rain forest occupies 11 723 ha at the highest elevations, and mangrove forest occupies 7920 ha in coastal areas. Puerto Ricos forests were found to have over 1,602,378,689 trees over 2.5 cm in diameter and 10 607 847 m2 of basal area, and to hold 36.6 million Mg of sequestered carbon. There were 3,112 trees, 19.2 m2 of basal area, 68.25 m3 of merchantable stem volume, and 80 Mg of aboveground biomass in an average hectare of forest. The subtropical moist and wet and rain secondary forests inventoried in 1990 are still young and increasing in average basal area, which rose from 13.2 mm2/ha in 1980, to 15.2 m2/ha in 1990, to the current level of 20.9 mm2/ha. The most important tree species were the African tuliptree [Spathodea campanulata] Beauv., American muskwood [ |
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