Forest Area Trends in Puerto Rico

Forest area trends in Puerto Rico from 1980 to 1985 are included in this update of earlier studies. Total forest area has increased from 279,000 ha in 1980 to 300,000 ha in 1985. Most of the new forest is growing on abandoned pasture. Secondary forest and abandoned coffee shade account for 78 percent of all forest land. Xeric scrub and active coffee shade account for 11 percent and 10 percent of all forest land, respectively. Additional keywords: forest survey, remote sensing, tropical forests. Puerto Rico’s 890,000 ha of land were mostly forested in the 18th century. By 1828, timber cutting and development of nonforest land uses had reduced the island’s forest cover to about 587,000 ha (Wadsworth 1950). Coffee cultivation under shade trees was just beginning. By 1899 forest cover was reduced to 182,000 ha. Pasture accounted for about 490,000 ha, and coffee production occupied 77,000 ha (Wadsworth 1950). For the next 20 years, tree cover declined slowly (Murphy 1916). The forests could yield few products other than fuelwood or charcoal.