Vegetation Structure and Composition Across Select Ecological Succession Stages and Land Uses in Puerto Rico
| Authors: | Johann D. Crespo-Zapata, Steve Maldonado-Silvestrini, William A. Gould |
| Year: | 2026 |
| Type: | General Technical Report |
| Station: | Washington Office |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.2737/WO-GTR-111 |
| Source: | USDA Forest Service |
Abstract
From 2021 to 2023, researchers conducted inventories to assess, survey, and describe vegetation on 99 sites in Puerto Rico. Inventory sites comprise several ecological succession stages (or vegetation community phases) and land uses across the island, encompassing mature forests, restored forests, secondary forests, shrublands, pioneers, abandoned tillage crops, managed grasslands, abandoned grasslands, and abandoned horticulture grounds. These were located among the municipalities of Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Canóvanas, Fajardo, Jayuya, Lajas, Loíza, Luquillo, Manatí, Río Grande, Santa Isabel, and Utuado. Some 689 plant species were recorded during this period and are included in this report, accounting for approximately 20 percent of the total suggested flora of Puerto Rico. A total of 80 plant samples were collected and processed, and the corresponding imaged herbarium specimen vouchers are also included. This report presents an overview of the floristic makeup and dynamics, based on the areas and sites assessed, and provides inventory data summaries, as well as descriptive analyses and other general results. The information is intended to serve as a multipurpose planning tool and to support conservation, land-use management, and other practices to mitigate the effects of climate change and extreme weather events.