1916 – The Puerto Rican U.S. Organizational Era (1898-1916) government engineers indicate that the former Crown lands now the 1903 – The Sabana River Valley in 1906 Luquillo National Forest comprise the new Luquillo Forest Reserve was After a visit to Puerto Rico where 1910 5,035 hectares (12,441 acres). seen to be heavily timbered, a testi- he addressed the Puerto Rican 1907 – Luquillo National Forest Population of Puerto Rico mony to the former forest authority’s conservation efforts. Legislature, President Theodore 1,118,000 Roosevelt upon his return, strongly 1912 1915 recommended to the U.S. Congress 1908 Water from the Fajardo River Population of Puerto Rico the urgency of granting full U.S. First movie shown in Puerto Rico watershed in the Luquillo National 1,199,000 citizenship to the Puerto Rican people. Forest is tapped as a water supply for the town of Fajardo. 1915 – Deforestation is reported 1916 1903 – Luquillo Forest Reserve to an elevation of 548 meters (1,797 feet) on the Southern slopes of the U.S. Congress grants citizenship Luquillo Mountains. to Puerto Ricans with passage of the Jones Act.

G o v e r n o r s John R. Brooke G o v e r n o r s G o v e r n o r s G o v e r n o r s G o v e r n o r s Guy V. Henry George W. Davis CharlesCharles H.H.Allen Allen William H. Hunt Beekman Winthrop Regis H. Post George R. Colton Arthur Yager

1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 19190000 1901 1902 1903 1904 19190505 1906 1907 1908 1909 19191010 1911 1912 1913 1914 19151915 1916 1917 1918 1919 19201920                          

Emory Forest Super v i s o r s Forest Super v i s o r s Forest Super v i s o r s Forest Super v i s o r s Murray Forest Super v i s o r s Bruner 1903 – On January 17th, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims the 1905 – USDA Bureau of Forestry Luquillo Forest Reserve under the publishes the report “Luquillo Forest authority of a 1902 Act of Congress Reserve, Porto Rico”, the first detailed that allowed the president 1905 report about the forest and its one year to reserve Crown 1910–11 – A representative from resources. Lands ceded to the United Population of Puerto Rico the USDA Forest Service travels to Puerto Rico to study local forests Landowners adjacent to the LFR States by Spain in 1898, 1,070,000 report trespassing to obtain timber 1899 and finds “property ownership in the to form this public forest 1908 – Local officials make Luquillo mountains in chaos”. He illegally. Hurricane San Ciriaco causes 1912 – Under the auspices reservation. repeated requests to the Forest recommends releasing the LNF to great damage to Puerto Rico. of the New York Academy of An infrequently used trail crosses the Service to appoint guards to control the Insular government. Governor Sciences, the New York Botanical forest via El Yunque Peak from North The hurricane causes minimal tree trespassers in the LNF. George R. Colton responds that PR 1901 Society, the University of Puerto to South. loss in the Luquillo forest. needs Forest Service assistance First resident commissioner, Rico Experimental Station and the and that withdrawal would be Puerto Rican Legislature, botanist Federico Degetau, takes office “exceedingly regretted”. 1907 – Luquillo Forest Reserve is Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife, named the Luquillo National Forest, 1909 – The Puerto Rico The Puerto Rico government prevails bryologist (a botanist specializing and becomes the single tropical rain Commissioner of Agriculture and in their effort to persuade the Forest in mosses and lichens) Elizabeth forest in the USDA National Forest Labor asks the Chief Forester of the Service to study the Luquillo Forest Knight Britton begin compilation of System. 1908 – Illegal trails used for U.S. Forest Service for permission to Reserve area and agrees to survey a “Scientific Survey of Porto Rico,” 1914 RAMÓN FRADE, El Pan Nuestro, ca.1905 1900 – Parade celebrating passage of the Foraker Act that installed unlawful timber extraction appear in hire guards to prevent trespassing the land for the Forest Service. a survey of the physical and natural Water from the Gurabo River the first civilian government in Puerto Rico. El Verde and Jimenez valleys of LNF. by charcoal cutters in the Luquillo history of the island focusing on its Mean Annual Rainfall – In Luquillo Mountains watershed in the Luquillo The LNF proclamation boundaries Forest Reserve. geology, zoology, botany, culture National Forest is tapped as As part of the settlement of the Spanish- 1898 – are located and marked with and broader natural science fields. a water supply for the town of American War, the Treaty of Paris, cedes control of Maximum – 546 cm (215 inches) The 19 volume product of this survey concrete markers by the U.S. Coast Juncos. Puerto Rico to the United States. The settlement and Geodetic Survey. stands as one of the most complete includes approximately 127,000 hectares (313,822 Minimum – 324 cm (128 inches) descriptions of the natural history of Timber extraction trails exist from acres) of forested land. any tropical area in the world. USDA Bulletin No. 354; “Forests of Porto the town of Mameyes to the LNF 1900 Rico, Past, Present and Future and their Forested land remaining in the Luquillo Mountains is forest edge and on into the forest Physical and Economic Environment” estimated at 2,070 hectares (5,116 acres). Puerto Rico becomes first watershed areas. unincorporated territory of U.S. by Forest Examiner Louis S. Murphy is published.

1914 – Gabriel Mitchell, the first native Puerto Rican Forester is appointed. 1900 Department of Education formed. 1916 – The Puerto Rican government donates 575 hectares (1,420 acres) of land, adjacent to the Luquillo National Forest. 1903 – University of Puerto Rico Founded.