Puerto Rico FOREST ACTION PLAN, 2016 Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 2016 Puerto Rico Forest Action Plan, 2016 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. This publication made possible through a grant from the USDA Forest Service. i Acknowledgements Under direction provided on February 6, 2015 by a joint Memorandum from the Deputy Chief of State and Private Forestry of the United States Forest Service, James E. Hubbard and National Association of State Foresters President James Karels titled State Forest Action Plan- Five-Year Review and Future Updates, state forestry agencies were required to prepare a new National Priorities Section to be added to existing State Forest Action Plans. State Forest Action Plans were originally completed in 2010 and they were formerly known as State Assessment and Strategies for Forest Resources. The purpose of adding this new section to State Forest Action Plans is to grant states and territories with flexibility to describe actions and success stories contributing to three (3) National Priorities identified in the 2008 Farm Bill: │ Conserve and Manage Working Forest Landscapes for Multiple Values and Uses │ Protect Forests from Threats │ Enhance Public Benefits from Trees and Forests The Memorandum provided for the new section to be incorporated into the State Forest Action Plan as a new section or as a separate addendum (section of new material that is added after the first edition or first printing of a book) to the document. The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, through funding provided by a grant from the USFS, hired Estudios Técnicos, Inc. to complete this new section, which constitutes Addendum 1 and is placed at end of this new edition. Under the aforementioned Memorandum, state forestry agencies were also compelled to either review or update their existing State Forest Action Plans at this time if significant changes such as changes in priority areas, re-writes of complete sections or the addition of new strategies were needed, although State Forest Action Plan updates are required at least every ten (10) years. In the case of the Puerto Rico Forest Action Plan, a full revision was conducted at this five (5) year mark. Nonetheless, it is worth mentioning that the Forest Legacy Assessment of Need, included in Appendix A, incorporates an updated graphic representation of its maps, but keeps the original content. ii We want to gratefully acknowledge those that have contributed to this final edition of the Puerto Rico Forest Action Plan. Once again the efforts of our collaborators have resulted in a comprehensive, forward- looking strategy to keep Puerto Rico’s forests as healthy natural resources and thriving into the future. As we previously recognized those whose help was instrumental in our first edition of the Puerto Rico Forest Action, we want to distinguish those whose contribution was vital to this present edition (in alphabetical order): Wanda Almodóvar (UPR-RUM) Maya Quiñones (IITF) Thomas Brandeis (USFS) Osvaldo Quiñones (DNER) Cristina Cabrera (DNER) Mariana Quiñones Rosado (consultant) Carlos Cao (DNER) Aixa Ramírez (PRDA) Constance Carpenter (IITF) Ramón L. Rivera Lebrón (DNER) Francisco Catalá (DNER) María Luisa Rivera Vázquez (DNER) Félix Colón (PREQB) José Salguero (DNER) Wanda I. Crespo (Estudios Técnicos, Inc) Enrique Santiago (DNER) Ernesto L. Díaz (DNER) Marilyn Santiago (USGS) Magaly Figueroa (IITF) Estrella Santiago Pérez, Esq. (consultant) William Gould (IITF) Sandra Soto Bayó (consultant) Carmen Guerrero (DNER) José A. Sustache Sustache (DNER) Humfredo Marcano (IITF) Marianela Torres (DNER) Coralys Ortiz (DNER) Digna Vázquez (PRFD) Carlos Paniagua (DNER) Julio Verdejo (consultant) Vicente Quevedo (DNER) Rosanna Vidal (DNER) iii Puerto Rico Forest Action Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................... 1 II. PUERTO RICOSTATE-WIDE ASSESSMENT………………… ........ 3 a. Current Conditions and Benefits of Forests ................. 3 i. Current Conditions .......................................................... 3 1. Geography ................................................................. 3 2. Land use and land cover ......................................... 6 3. Forest composition, structure and function ........... 9 4. Riparian forests ......................................................... 15 5. Urban forests ............................................................. 18 6. Wildlife ....................................................................... 20 7. Water resources ....................................................... 24 a. Surface Water Quality ........................................ 26 b. Reservoirs .............................................................. 29 c. Aquifers ................................................................. 31 8. Wetlands ................................................................... 33 a. Mangrove forests ................................................ 36 9. Coral Reef Ecosystems ............................................ 40 ii. Economic benefits from forests ................................... 41 b. Threats to Forest Resources ........................................ 44 i. Development and forest fragmentation ................... 44 ii. Wildfires ........................................................................... 49 iii. Hurricanes ....................................................................... 51 iv. Climate change ............................................................ 52 v. Invasive species ............................................................. 59 vi. Pests and diseases ........................................................ 61 c. Land conservation and management in Puerto Rico ................................................................................... 66 i. Financial assistance programs for management and conservation ........................................................................ 69 1. USDA Forest Service Cooperative Programs ....... 69 2. USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Incentive Programs ................................................. 71 3. DNER Auxiliary Forests Program ............................. 74 i Puerto Rico Forest Action Plan III. PUERTO RICO STATE-WIDE STRATEGIES FOR FOREST RESOURCES .............................................................................. 78 a. STRATEGIES OVERVIEW ................................................ 78 i. Priority Issues ................................................................... 79 ii. Priority Landscapes ....................................................... 80 1. Interface Landscape .............................................. 81 2. Critical Wildlife Areas (CWA’s) ............................... 83 3. Areas of hydrologic importance ........................... 85 4. Fire Prone Landscape ............................................. 87 5. Riparian corridors ..................................................... 90 6. Urban Forests ............................................................ 93 7. Joint Priority Landscapes ........................................ 95 8. The Model Forest of Puerto Rico ............................ 99 b. Goals and Strategies ................................................ 102 i. Goal 1: Conserving working forest landscape ........ 102 ii. Goal 2. Protect forests from harm ............................ 108 iii. Goal 3: Enhance public benefits associated with trees and forests .................................................................... 119 IV. REFERENCES .....................................................................