El Yunque National Forest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| El Yunque National Forest | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area) | |
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| Location | Puerto Rico |
| Nearest city | Río Grande |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 28,002 acres (113.32 km²) |
| Established | 1903 |
| Visitors | 600,000 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest, is located on the island of Puerto Rico. It is commonly known as only El Yunque, a Spanish approximation of the aboriginal Taino word "Yu-ke" thought by scholars to mean "White Lands". It is also the name of the second highest mountain peak in the Forest. El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System.
The forest is located on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo Mountains in Puerto Rico, and encompasses 28,002 acres (43.753 sq mi, or 113.32 km²) of land, making it the largest block of public land on the island of Puerto Rico. El Toro, the highest mountain peak in the forest rises 1,078 metres (3,537 ft) above sea level.
In descending order of land area the forest is located in the municipalities of Río Grande, Naguabo, Luquillo, Ceiba, Canóvanas, Las Piedras, Fajardo, and Juncos. [1] Forest headquarters are located in Río Grande.
The forest region was initially set aside in 1876 by the King Alfonso XII of Spain, and represents one of the oldest reserves in the Western Hemisphere. It is home to over 200 species of trees and plants, 23 of which are found nowhere else. The critically endangered Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata), with an estimated wild population of 30 individuals, occurs exclusively in this forest. Another wild population is presently in the process of being established in the Carite State Forest on the southwestern side of Puerto Rico.
Typical yearly rainfall can be up to 240 inches (6 m) per year which constitutes more than 100 billion US gallons (380,000,000 m³) of rainwater fall on the forest per year.
El Yunque is composed of four different forest vegetation areas: Tabonuco Forest, Palo Colorado Forest, Palma Sierra Forest, and Dwarf Forest.
El Yunque is also renowned for its unique Taino petroglyphs.
An Executive Order signed by President George W. Bush on April 2, 2007, renamed the Caribbean National Forest as the El Yunque National Forest, to better reflect the cultural and historical feelings of the Puerto Rican people. [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Table 6 - NFS Acreage by State, Congressional District and County - United States Forest Service - September 30, 2007
[edit] External links
- El Yunque National Forest – USDA Forest Service, EYNF Official Website
- International Institute of Tropical Forestry – USDA Forest Service, IITF Official Website
