Guánica State Forest
Encyclopedia
The Guánica State Forest is a subtropical dry forest
located in southwest Puerto Rico
. The area was designated as a forest reserve in 1919 and a United Nations Biosphere Reserve
in 1981. It is considered the best preserved, subtropical forest and the best example of dry forest
in the Caribbean
.
of the Cordillera Central
, Puerto Rico's driest area, temperatures in the forest are, on average, around 80 °F (26.7 °C) in shaded areas and 100 °F (37.8 °C) in exposed areas. The average temperature is 25.3 °C (77.5 °F) and the average annual rainfall is 791 millimetres (31.1 in).
The vegetation in the forest is divided into three main groups: upland deciduous forest (which occupies 23.5 square kilometres (9.1 sq mi)), semi-evergreen forest
(7.2 square kilometres (2.8 sq mi)), and scrub forest (5.8 square kilometres (2.2 sq mi)). Similar to other insular dry forests species diversity is low; between 30 and 50 tree species are found per ha. More than 700 plant species, of which 48 are endangered and 16 are endemic to the forest, occur within the forest.
Puerto Rican dry forests
The Puerto Rican dry forests are a subtropical dry forest ecoregion located in southwestern and eastern Puerto Rico and on the offshore islands. They cover an area of . These forests grow in areas receiving less than of rain annually...
located in southwest Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The area was designated as a forest reserve in 1919 and a United Nations Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
in 1981. It is considered the best preserved, subtropical forest and the best example of dry forest
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons...
in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
Geography
Located in the dry orographic rain shadowRain shadow
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...
of the Cordillera Central
Cordillera Central, Puerto Rico
The Cordillera Central, or La Cordillera Central , is the main mountain range in Puerto Rico. Generally speaking, the range crosses the island from west to east with an average elevation of 915m and divides the territory's northern and southern coastal plains.La Cordillera Central runs east to...
, Puerto Rico's driest area, temperatures in the forest are, on average, around 80 °F (26.7 °C) in shaded areas and 100 °F (37.8 °C) in exposed areas. The average temperature is 25.3 °C (77.5 °F) and the average annual rainfall is 791 millimetres (31.1 in).
Flora and fauna
Approximately half of Puerto Rico's birds and nine of 16 the endemic bird species occur in the Guánica State Forest.The vegetation in the forest is divided into three main groups: upland deciduous forest (which occupies 23.5 square kilometres (9.1 sq mi)), semi-evergreen forest
Evergreen forest
An temperate evergreen forest is a forest consisting entirely or mainly of evergreen trees that retain green foliage all year round. Such forests exist in the tropics primarily as broadleaf evergreens, and in temperate and boreal latitudes primarily as coniferous evergreens.-Tropical evergreen...
(7.2 square kilometres (2.8 sq mi)), and scrub forest (5.8 square kilometres (2.2 sq mi)). Similar to other insular dry forests species diversity is low; between 30 and 50 tree species are found per ha. More than 700 plant species, of which 48 are endangered and 16 are endemic to the forest, occur within the forest.