We’re Here Now
We arrived at El Yunque! In this section, you will learn about its history, our relationship with the Sierra de Luquillo, and the forest’s ecological dynamics that we love so much.
Let’s Find Ourselves on the Map
Extension
• The natural rainforest reserve covers 29,000 acres.
• Its size is 4 times that of the municipality of Florida.
• It neighbors the municipalities of Canóvanas, Ceiba, Fajardo, Juncos, Las Piedras, Luquillo, Naguabo, and Río Grande.
Water
• It rains approximately 152 inches annually.
• In the most elevated areas, it can rain up to 200 inches.
• It provides 20% of Puerto Rico’s drinking water.
• Approximately, 66 million gallons are extracted daily.
• This is where the rivers of Río Blanco, Río Espíritu Santo, Río Fajardo, Río Grande de Loíza, Río Mameyes, and Río Sabana are all born.
Flora, Fauna and Fungi
• 240 native trees live here.
• 26 endemic species live in El Yunque.
• It houses a variety animal species: 61 birds, 19 reptiles, 16 mammals, 15 amphibians, and 7 fishes.
• Approximately, 1,000 species of fungi and almost 200 types of lichens have been identified.
This forest a prime example of the housing of biodiversity. Here endemic, native and exotic species interact in a complex web of relationships that characterize this unique ecosystem. Scientists who study the forest thoroughly have denominated six types of forest, according to elevation and predominant species.
1. Riverside Forest
It’s found alongside rivers and streams in all elevations. This type of vegetation contributes to the good quality of the water and life present in the rivers.
2. Secondary Forest
In areas previously deforested by human activity, these forests are the result of reforestation and tend to combine native and introduced species. The forest at El Portal Trail is a good example of this classification.
3. Tabonuco Forest
In this forest, located between 150 and 700 meters in altitude, there are more than 80 species of trees, and many of them tend to reach 98 feet. Tabonuco (Dacryodes excelsa) and Motillo (Sloanea berteriana) predominate. The forest at El Angelito Trail is a good example of this classification.
4. Palo Colorado Forest
This type of forest exists in elevations between 600 and 800 meters, mostly in saturated soils. Up to 65 species of trees coexist, and some of them can reach heights of up to 50 feet. Palo colorado (Cyrilla racemiflora) predominates. Read more. Furthermore, it is very common to see many bromeliads and aerial roots. At this altitude, the fog from clouds that come from the Atlantic is predominant and covers the forest’s peaks.
5. Sierra Palm Forest
It tends to occupy steep slopes at over 450 meters in altitude, and the Sierra Palm Tree (Prestoea montana) predominates, which tends to survive hurricanes quite well and produces fruit that serves as food for the Iguaca, the Puerto Rican Parrot.
6. Tabebuia and Eugenia Forest
Also known as Dwarf Forest or Cloud Forest. This forest dwells in the peaks and the highest areas of El Yunque, at more than 900 m above sea level. Read more. It is inhabited by more than 20 endemic species, and the Roble de Sierra (Tabebuia rígida), the Guayabota (Eugenia borinquensis), and the Giant Fern (Cyathea bryophila) predominate. Although few species adapt to these conditions, they are of vital importance, because they protect the peaks from erosion.
“…El Yunque is a monument of this nation, in which the texts of our time, history, and memory are inscribed. Only through contact, maintaining that physical tie with the environment, is it possible to perpetuate the memory, the language, the stories, and the totem.”
(Pizzini et al. 203)
The Memory of the Forest:
El Yunque and Its History
We’re also part of El Yunque. There is evidence of carboneras (coal cellars), agricultural practices, trails, recreational areas, and a variety of structures that speak as we walk through this forest. Our shared chronicle lives in petroglyphs, the historical documents, and our collective memory. Coming up, an album to remember.
Photo: Archivo General de Puerto Rico
Yuké
A million iguacas
A shared refuge in Furidi
Indigenous people, slaves, cimarrones (runaway slaves) and groups of Spaniards displeased with the Spanish Crown take refuge up in Furidi, a name of African origin that references a forest full of clouds. The presence of these groups in resistance delays the deforestation of the Sierra de Luquillo.
Photo: Tom Lehman Archive
Circular #493 is born
The cutting down of our forests for construction, exportation, and the latifundium agriculture of the Spanish government greatly impacts the country’s forest cover. As a result of the continuous deforestation and its negative effects on the water supply, the first law that seeks to protect and reforest the flora around the rivers and basins is established.
Photo: Archivo General de Puerto Rico
One of the first forest reserves in America
After creating the Inspección de Montes de Puerto Rico (Spanish Forest Service), the King of Spain Alfonso XII proclaims almost 25,000 acres of the Sierra de Luquillo a forest reserve.
Photo: Archivo General de Puerto Rico
The Spanish-American War
The Luquillo Forest Reserve
Trails for wood extraction
Looking to earn a little something on the side, many families sell charcoal made from forest wood. They trespass the reserve’s limits and transport the timber on bulls for the later processing of the wood. These roads were the traces of a marginal economy that lasted half of the 20th century.
The limits of the reserve
To demarcate the forest reserve, posts are installed throughout part of the 12,873 acres.
Photo: Archivo General de Puerto Rico
The Forest Service
San Felipe II and San Ciprián
Two hurricanes, category five and three respectively, impact our island significantly. Additionally, the management of the forests, which up until then had been focused on monoculture, leaves Puerto Rico deforested with only 12% of forest cover by the 1930s.
Photo: Archivo General de Puerto Rico
It’s estimated that there are around 2,000 Puerto Rican Parrots left
The Civilian Conservation Corps’ task in Puerto Rico
Reforestation Efforts
Caribbean National Forest
The Tropical Forest Experimental Station
The Catalina Nursery
A nursery is established on the land of a former coffee farm called La Catalina, to continue the reforestation efforts in the Caribbean National Forest.
150 families out of the forest
150 families of parceler@s (smallholders), who used to live (on private land parcels) and work on the lands of the reserve, are evacuated.
Luquillo Experimental Forest
Discovered and missing species in the forest
Radiation, herbicides, y defoliators
Howard T. Odum’s experimentations in The Caribbean National Forest and other forest areas of Puerto Rico seek to measure the effects of radiation and the application of herbicides and defoliators in tropical ecosystems for military use in the Vietnam War.
Photo: A Tropical Rain Forest - A Study Of Irradiation and Ecology at El Verde, Puerto Rico
Only 24 Puerto Rican Parrots
A Biosphere Reserve
The forest reserve receives recognition from the United Nations and is declared a Biosphere Reserve. This denomination recognizes virgin forests along with secondary forests around the world that stand out for their preservation, investigation, regeneration, traditional uses of the forest, and tourism.
Organizing and activism in favor of conservation
An organized movement of environmental groups manages to put an end to the Land and Resource Management’s proposed plan for El Yunque, which designated approximately 200 acres for the annual cutting of timber-yielding trees: Majó (Talipariti elatum), Tabonuco (Dacryodes excelsa), and Ausubo (Manilkara bidentata).
Foto: Biblioteca General de Puerto Rico
Hurricane Hugo
The Portal is inaugurated
Puerto Rican Parrots are released
Protection for the rivers in El Yunque
Iguaca Aviary and El Yunque
A new aviary for the conservation of the Puerto Rican Parrot is opened in dedication to the agronomist José Antonio “Tony” Rodríguez Vidal in recognition of his conservation efforts for this species. Additionally, they rename the forest reserve El Yunque National Forest.
Photo: Ana Teresa Torres for Ciencia PR
Increase in urban areas
500 Iguacas
Towards a shared management of El Yunque
Hurricanes Irma and María
Investigations carried out on October 2017 estimate that Hurricanes Irma and María caused the death of, or severely damaged, some 23 to 31 million trees. The map above compares the vegetation between September 2016 and October 2017. The more intensely colored areas reflect the greater amount of dead or severely damaged vegetation. For more information on the investigation carried out, visit this page.
The forest’s recovery
Cleaning teams worked hard last year to open way into the trails of El Yunque. The forest continues to recover, just as it did after previous hurricanes. Reports show that the emerging flora species seen after Irma and María are typical of post-hurricane conditions.
The Forest Community:
Cooperation and Mutualism in El Yunque
In a neighborhood, the participation of every one of the neighbors and family members contributes to the wellbeing of the entire community. Something similar occurs here in the forest, since the function of every one of the organisms contributes to the balance of the entire ecosystem. Let’s look at some examples of cooperation and mutualism in El Yunque. These interactions among species who support one another contribute many benefits and bring prosperity to the forest.
Yagrumo hembra
Cecropia schreberiana
Are you familiar with it? When El Yunque loses many of its trees due to strong hurricanes, for example, this species takes advantage of the sunlight, grows very quickly, and generates a temporary canopy.
So, other species can germinate and grow beneath its shadow. Hence, it is considered key and pioneering in the rehabilitation of ecosystems after a natural disturbance or large tree-cutting. Surely, yagrumo hembra is growing today, along with other species, and supporting the recovery of our rainforests.
For more information about Yagrumo Hembra, you can go here.
Photo: Flora Virtual Estación El Verde
Photo: Flora Virtual Estación El Verde
Photo: Flora Virtual Estación El Verde
Photo: Flora Virtual Estación El Verde
The Ausubo and the Red Fig-eating Bat
Manilkara bidentata y Stenoderma rufum
How does a bat relate to a tree? It’s simple; the tree bears fruit that the bat eats; the bat digests the fruit, and when it defecates in the forest, it spreads the ausubo seed.
It’s a super great exchange! So, if we find Ausubo trees along the way, it is very likely that a bat planted them.
For more information on the Ausubo, you can go here.
Photo: Erick Calderón
Photo: Flora Virtual Estación El Verde
Photo: Erick Calderón
Photo: Erick Calderón
Tabonuco
Dacryodes excelsa
The Tabonuco knows that there is strength in unity. Its communities connect through their roots forming an exchange network of information, nutrients, and organic matter that gives them more opportunities for survival. This tree is historically beloved. Its wood is formidable for construction, and its aromatic resin has been used as an insect repellent and as raw material for the confection of candles and medicine.
For more information on the tabonuco tree, you can go here.
The forest community is an example on how we can organize our daily social dynamics. From the small nuclei of our families, communities and schools, we have the opportunity to interact with one another in balance, supporting one another as the forest does.
Para reflexionar
Do you participate in cooperation dynamics?
Think about some examples of support and mutual aid in your social circles.
What other examples in nature can you use in favor of having good social relationships?
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