Tropical rain forest once covered much of Puerto Rico. The 28,000 acres of the Caribbean National Forest are what remain. The emphasis is on rain: more than 100 billion gallons of rain fall there every year. That bounty creates a lush forest with plants of remarkable variety and proportion.
Although the Caribbean National Forest is one of the smallest in the National Forest System, it is the most biologically diverse forest that the Forest Service manages. Occurring there are 240 species of native trees, 50 species of orchids and over 150 species of ferns.
New Wilderness!
In November 2005, legislation to protect lands in the Caribbean National Forest as Wilderness was approved by Congress and is expected to be signed by the president. The legislation protects over 10,000 acres of wilderness in the heart of the Caribbean National Forest. Introduced by Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton (D-NY) and Congressman Luis Fortuno (R-PR), this legislation creates the first tropical forest wilderness area in the National Forest System, named “El Toro,” and will permanently protect habitat vital to eight endangered species.
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National Lands in Puerto Rico
National Parks
U.S. Forest Service
National Wildlife Refuges
