Susúa State Forest (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Bosque Estatal de Susúa'') is one of the 20 forest units that make up the public forest system of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. This forest is located in the southeastern foothills of the

Central Mountain Range The Central Mountain Range is the principal mountain range on the island of Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. It acts as a barrier between the east and west coasts, hindering travel. The tallest peak of the range is ...

or ''Cordillera Central'', in the municipalities of Sabana Grande and Yauco. Most of the forest, particularly the lower parts, are of

secondary growth In botany, secondary growth is the growth that results from cell division in the cambia or lateral meristems and that causes the stems and roots to thicken, while primary growth is growth that occurs as a result of cell division at the tips ...

as the land had originally been

deforested Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

and used for cattle grazing, timber production and agriculture. The forest is an important habitat for the endangered

Puerto Rican nightjar The Puerto Rican nightjar, Puerto Rican whip-poor-will or guabairo (''Antrostomus noctitherus'') is a bird in the nightjar family found in the coastal dry scrub forests in localized areas of southwestern Puerto Rico. It was described in 1916 fro ...

History

The forest reserve was proclaimed in 1935 by the forestry division of the

Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration The Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration (PRRA) was one of the alphabet agencies of the New Deal established by the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Created on May 28, 1935, the PRRA's first directors included American j ...

(PRRA) and subject to the 1917 Puerto Rico Forestry Law. The forest is now managed by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA). The forest is also important for its

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

value as many

Taíno The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...

sites have been uncovered in the forest.

Ecology

The forest is an important transition zone from a subtropical moist broadleaf biome to a subtropical dry broadleaf biome which is important to several endangered species such as the Puerto Rican nightjar ( ''Antrostomus noctitherus''). The forest is also considered an important ecological corridor between the Guánica dry forest and the Maricao State Forest. There is a high rate of endemism in the forest and species such as the '' Zamia portoricensis'' and the ''

Calliandra locoensis ''Calliandra'' is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It contains about 140 species that are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Description T ...

'' of the ''

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

'' family is only found in the area and nowhere else in Puerto Rico or the world. Some endangered or threatened species found in the forest are the pincho rose tree (''

Ottoschulzia rhodoxylon ''Ottoschulzia rhodoxylon'' is a rare species of tree in the family Icacinaceae known by the common name ''pincho palo de rosa''. It is native to Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. When it was listed as an endangered species under the United States' End ...

''), the black cobana ('' Libidibia monosperma''), the Sierra higuero (''

Crescentia portoricensis ''Crescentia portoricensis'', commonly known as Higüero De Sierra in Spanish or Calabach in English, is a species of plant in the family Bignoniaceae. It is a perennial evergreen shrub endemic to Puerto Rico. It is threatened by habitat loss ...

'') and the threatened red fruit bat ('' Stenoderma rufum'').

Recreation

Hiking is permitted in the forest on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. although visitors must contact the forest offices (787-999-2200 Ext. 5156) before arriving. Camping is allowed ($6 per tent) and cabins are also available for rent ($40 per night). The forest office also offers group tours and guided hikes, and support for researchers interested in conducting scientific investigation in the forest.

References

{{coord, 18.083, -66.905, type:landmark_region:PR_dim:5000, display=title Protected areas of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico state forests Forestry in Puerto Rico Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico Yauco, Puerto Rico 1935 establishments in Puerto Rico Protected areas established in 1935 Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration

History

Ecology

Recreation

See also

References