Cover image: views of the headquarters of the International Institute of Tropical Forestry. Top photo by G. Bauer. 

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Contents
 

Editor’s Message ....................................................................................................................................................v
 

A Message from the Director ..............................................................................................................................vi
 

Vision and Mission ...............................................................................................................................................vii
 

A Working Vision for Safety ................................................................................................................................vii
 

The Institute .........................................................................................................................................................viii
 

Institute Headquarters—Historic and Sustainable .................................................. 1
 Description of the Institute’s Facilities...............................................................................................................2
 

Headquarters........................................................................................................................................................................2
 

Sabana Field Research Station..............................................................................................................................................3
 

Support and Administration ....................................................................................... 4
 Finances and Workforce ......................................................................................................................................4
 

Incoming Funding..................................................................................................................................................................4
 

Distribution of Funds.............................................................................................................................................................4
 

Workforce Statistics ..............................................................................................................................................................4
 

Funding Partners for FY12...................................................................................................................................5
 

Cooperators Who Received Funding from the Institute ...........................................................................................................5
 

Cooperators Who Provided Funds to the Institute...................................................................................................................5
 

Institute Social Media (Twitter) ...........................................................................................................................6
 

Institute Twitter Account........................................................................................................................................................6
 

Caribbean Landscape Conservation Cooperative Twitter Account ...........................................................................................6
 

Research and Development ....................................................................................... 7
 Research FY 2012 Key Accomplishments .......................................................................................................7
 

Information Technology Highlights of 2012......................................................................................................7
 

Research Highlights of 2012 ..............................................................................................................................8
 

Scientist Profiles..................................................................................................................................................10
 

Ecosystem Ecology..............................................................................................................................................................10
 

Soil Ecology ........................................................................................................................................................................10
 

Social Science ....................................................................................................................................................................10
 

Plant Physiology..................................................................................................................................................................10
 

Wildlife Ecology...................................................................................................................................................................11
 

Silviculture..........................................................................................................................................................................11
 

Biogeochemistry .................................................................................................................................................................11
 

Watersheds.........................................................................................................................................................................12
 

Landscape Ecology .............................................................................................................................................................12
 

Research Highlights By Scientist ......................................................................................................................13
 

I. Water, Air, And Soil...........................................................................................................................................................13
 

II. Wildlife ........................................................................................................................................................................... 17
 

III. Resource Management and Use .....................................................................................................................................20
 

IV. Climate Change..............................................................................................................................................................23
 

V. Inventory and Monitoring .................................................................................................................................................25
 

Cooperative Research Agreements .................................................................................................................29
 

Ecological Effects of Nutrient Enrichment on a Coastal Fringe Mangrove System in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico ...........................29
 

Sustainable Management of Big-Leaf Mahogany in the Brazilian Amazon.............................................................................29
 

State and Private Forestry.........................................................................................31
 
The Urban and Community Forestry Program ................................................................................................32
 

Green Infrastructure and Our Parks......................................................................................................................................34
 

Caguas Arbor Day Celebration ............................................................................................................................................34
 

St. Croix Historic Trees ........................................................................................................................................................35
 

Forest Legacy Program ......................................................................................................................................36
 

Virgin Islands Acquires First Forest Legacy Properties ..........................................................................................................36
 

The Cooperative Fire Program..............................................................................................................................................36
 

Incident Qualifications System (IQS)....................................................................................................................................37
 

Dry Hydrant Demonstration Project......................................................................................................................................38
 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ....................................................................................................39
 

St. Croix Roadside Tree Inventory and Management Strategies.............................................................................................39
 

Puerto Rico Hurricane and Hazardous Fuels Mitigation Project Update ................................................................................ 41
 

Mitigating Fire Hazards in Puerto Rico .................................................................................................................................42
 

The Forest Stewardship Program .....................................................................................................................43
 

Forest Stewardship Plan Development.................................................................................................................................43
 

Let’s Get SMART..................................................................................................................................................................45
 

Landscape Conservation .....................................................................................................................................................45
 

Knowing and Celebrating the Río Piedras.............................................................................................................................46
 

Champion Trees Registry .....................................................................................................................................................46
 

Communities, Conservation, and Public Land ......................................................................................................................47
 

Forest Products in Puerto Rico?........................................................................................................................................... 47
 

Transparency and Accountability......................................................................................................................49
 

Forest Health Protection Program....................................................................................................................49
 

Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Plant Conservation ..............................................................................................................49
 

Citizen Efforts for Monitoring Invasive Species in Puerto Rico...............................................................................................50
 

International Cooperation .........................................................................................52
 Global Activities...................................................................................................................................................52
 

Regional Activities...............................................................................................................................................52
 

Nicaragua Activities ............................................................................................................................................................53
 

Dominican Republic Activities .............................................................................................................................................54
 

Publications—Fiscal Year 2012 ................................................................................56
 

References Cited ........................................................................................................61
 
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

G. Bauer 

John Cohrs 

Editor’s Message 

Fiscal year (FY) 2012 was marked by the 

inaugurations of the renovated facilities at the 

Institute’s Headquarters in Río Piedras and the 

Sabana Field Research Station 

in Luquillo, PR. Amidst the moving and 

celebrations, much was accomplished this fiscal 

year within each of the Institute’s programs. I 

hope you enjoy learning 

what we accomplished in Research and 

Development, State and Private Forestry, and 

International Cooperation during FY 2012. 

Thanks to the Institute’s program managers, 

employees and partners for their text and photo 

contributions to this report. Special thanks to 

Marinelis Talavera for help editing this second 

annual report within the new framework, which 

includes all of the Institute’s units. Happy 

reading! 

Grizelle González 

Project Leader, 

Research Unit 

v
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

A Message from the Director
 

Ariel E. Lugo 

G. Bauer 

Fiscal year 2012 was historic for 

the Institute because we completed 

the restoration of the Institute 

Headquarters building and opened 

new facilities at the Sabana Field 

Research Station. We dedicated these 

facilities through well-attended public 

ceremonies with the presence of Chief 

of the Forest Service Tom Tidwell. We 

had a blast—a grand time showing off 

our brand new facilities to the public. 

Our employees were particularly 

happy because we finally abandoned 

the temporary trailer facilities and 

other locations where they had spent 

the past 5 years under crowded and 

sub-optimal conditions. 

Our new facilities are spacious, safe, 

and accessible. They also conserve 

water and electricity, and help mitigate 

the city heat island effect and flooding 

problems. In our next accomplishment 

report we will explain and document 

how we accomplished these 

conservation feats, because in FY 2012 

we were not completely done with the 

construction of all the facilities at the 

Institute.
1

Another historic moment in FY 2012 

was the acquisition of lands for 

conservation under the Forest Legacy 

Program by our partners in the U.S. 

Virgin Islands. This was the first time 

that Forest Legacy funds have been 

used for land acquisition in the U.S. 

Virgin Islands, and the purchase by 

the Virgin Islands Department of 

Agriculture focused attention on a 

beautiful 76-acre property in St. Croix 

that will be part of a new territorial 

park system where none existed 

before. 

Each year, as I read the 

accomplishments of the Institute, I 

marvel at how much we do and how 

many people and institutions we touch 

with our work. These accomplishment 

reports include only the highlights 

of our work and provide only a 

hint about the broad scope of what 

we do every year. We are engaged 

internationally with many countries 

between Argentina and the Caribbean, 

including substantial work in Brazil, 

Perú, Venezuela, the Dominican 

Republic, and many other Caribbean 

islands. Our involvement in Puerto 

Rico covers the whole island, and 

we have presence in the mainland 

United States and even in Alaska. The 

scientific productivity of the Institute 

is also very rewarding and we are 

now engaged in interpreting our work 

for the benefit of non-scientists and 

other users of research information. 

This year, the new program in socialecology began to bear fruit, and the 

reader might be interested in the 

network of technical information flow 

for Puerto Rico highlighted in this 

report. 

As I do every year, I ask for your 

feedback and ask you to help us be 

more responsive to the needs of our 

society as we engage social-ecological 

systems in the never-ending task of 

coping with environmental change. 

Enjoy our report! 

Ariel E. Lugo

Institute Director 

I. Vicens 

vi
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Vision and Mission 

We are a center for excellence where creativity and 

accomplishments result in timely products and services that 

anticipate the needs of society as it mitigates and adapts to 

environmental change. 

Our mission is to develop and disseminate scientifically based 

knowledge that contributes to the conservation of forests, 

wildlife, and watersheds of the American tropics in the 

context of environmental change. 

A Working Vision for Safety 

We actively care for the safety of ourselves, one another, and 

the public. Success is safely achieving our mission—with all 

of us returning home every day! 

 Vicens I.

vii
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

The Institute 

The International Institute of Tropical Forestry (the Institute) is a tropical forestry research and technology transfer 

institute. Located in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, it has a long and productive history. Created in 1939 as the Tropical Forest 

Experiment Station in cooperation with the University of Puerto Rico, the Institute has been in operation continuously for 

73 years. The Institute serves as a focal point for bringing external research and educational resources to bear on issues 

affecting tropical forests and grasslands. 

Bauer G.

Because of the high diversity of tropical landscapes and the multicultural and multilingual user base, Institute employees 

must have specialized knowledge and skills in many fields. Our assets include an exceptional cadre of bilingual and 

trilingual scientists, natural resources managers, professionals, and technicians; state-of-the-art facilities, including 

laboratories, experimental research forests, and an excellent tropical forestry library; a long tradition of collaborations; 

and constituents who are highly supportive of our mission and programs. 

viii
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Institute Headquarters—Historic and 

In 2008, construction/renovation was initiated, and the Level of the United States Green Building Council. 

building has now been restored with the distinctive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design 

architectural characteristics of the Spanish Revival style (LEED) elements were incorporated into the 

popular at the time it was built in the early 1940s. After renovation, which included a fresh-air system, lighting, an evaluation of the building by the State Preservation and thermal insulation. This project showcases that Office, it was concluded that the headquarters building historic buildings can be made highly energy-efficient is eligible for inclusion in the National Register for while maintaining their historical value and providing Historic Places. for contemporary use. Using sustainable design concepts, the renovation 

project was designed to meet the Silver Certification 

On July 18, 2012, with the assistance of U.S. Forest 

Service Chief Tom Tidwell and University of Puerto 

Rico President Dr. Miguel Muñoz-Muñoz, we 

inaugurated the newly renovated Headquarters. 

The Inauguration of the International Institute of 

Tropical Forestry’s Headquarters Building was the 

first event of many we have been conducting in 

anticipation of our 75th Anniversary in 2014. 

Institute Headquarters—Historic and Sustainable

Sustainable 

Inaugurated July 18, 2012 

For more than 70 years, the Institute’s 

Headquarters building has been an icon for 

tropical forestry research. Originally, the grounds 

where the Headquarters building was erected were 

part of an experimental station owned by the Sugar 

Producers Association. The property included 200 acres 

of land, 50 of them dedicated to experimental sugar 

cane crops and the remaining acreage to other crops. 

In 1911, the association transferred ownership to the 

People of Puerto Rico, with control and administration 

entrusted to the newly created Agriculture 

Commission Board. In August 1933, the property was 

transferred to the University of Puerto Rico. 

In 1941 the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

represented by Mr. Arthur Bevan, director of the 

Tropical Forest Experiment Station, signed the first 

lease agreement with the University of Puerto Rico for 

the use of lands where the building was erected, and in 

1942 construction began on what is today the Institute’s 

Headquarters building. 

Bauer G.

1
Institute Headquarters—Historic and Sustainable

IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Description of the Institute’s Facilities 

Headquarters 

The Institute Headquarters has 50,000 square feet of modern, state-of-the-art facilities that are secure, functional, 

accessible, and that service the scientific community of the Institute and its collaborators. The Headquarters 

complex is located in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and houses: 

•	1The Institute’s Headquarters building—a 

historical building fully restored and modernized
 

into a high-performance sustainable building
 

(see the previous page).
 

•	1A recently remodeled Forest Service National
 

Library, containing major publications in English
1

and Spanish on forestry, ecology, management, 

and utilization of tropical forests as well as other 

documents and materials related to tropical 

forests around the world. 

•	1A Chemistry Laboratory focusing on analytical 

chemistry of plant tissues, water, soils, and air. 

In a typical year, more than 50,000 analyses 

on samples collected from tropical ecosystems 

around the world are completed by laboratory 

personnel. 

•	1A GIS and Remote Sensing Laboratory to study 

landscape ecology using geographic information 

systems (GIS), remote sensing, and field studies. 

This laboratory develops information, methods, 

and products using spatial data and analyses 

at multiple scales, which are made available 

through maps, publications, and training. 

•	1A technology transfer conference center with 

capabilities for multiple use combinations for 

meetings, trainings, and conferences. This facility 

has a food serving area and accessible restrooms. 

•	1A multipurpose building that houses a 

dormitory, a gym, general storage area, office 

space, and lunch area. 

•	1An area for sample preparation and long-term 

storage of samples. 

•	1Three back-up generators to ensure that electrical 

power is available for continuous operation 

during power blackouts, and a 3,400-gallon 

potable water tank that can provide drinking 

water during water shortages. 

M. Rivera M. Rivera L. Muñoz G. González 

GIS and remote sensing staff. 

2
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Sabana Field Research Station 

On July 16, 2012, with the help of Chief Tidwell, we celebrated the 

inauguration ceremony of the newly remodeled Sabana Field Research 

Station. 

The Sabana Field Research Station has a rich history; it was originally 

established by the Forest Service in 1938 with the objective of maintaining 

security and surveillance of all surrounding forest areas. Later, between 

the 1970s and the 1980s, the station was a saw mill, and finally, after 1989, 

the station was fully dedicated to research activities.
 

The Sabana Field Research Station has all the amenities to accommodate 

individuals and groups interested in completing scientific work in the 

surrounding or nearby areas located within the Luquillo Experimental 

Forest, like the Sabana River and Bisley (experimental watersheds). 

The station is located on PR Road 988 km 6.5 in the Sabana neighborhood 

in the town of Luquillo and offers multiple facilities: 

G. Bauer

•	1Dormitory building with restrooms, showers, and kitchen; and 

•	1A multipurpose building with a mycology laboratory, oven room, 

sample preparation room, laundry room, and storage areas. 

A Visit From the Chief 

With State and Private Forestry Partners at El Tallonal 

Strong partnerships are the foundation of State and 

Private Forestry programs. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom 

Tidwell spent a day with the Institute’s director, State and 

Private Forestry staff and, several partners at El Tallonal, a 

biological reserve in Arecibo administered by the Citizens 

for the Karst (CDK). 

Each person had an opportunity to talk with the Chief 

and with the other guests, to share the goals and 

accomplishments of their respective programs and 

ongoing projects. The day’s activities provided the Chief 

with a sample of the great diversity of State and Private 

Forestry programs and projects ranging from fire to forest 

production, urban forestry, community gardens, outdoor 

classrooms, and forest health. 

USFS Chief Tidwell, Institute’s Director Ariel 

Lugo and CDK Abel Vale view the tropical 

forest canopy at Tallonal Nature Reserve. 

G. Bauer 

•	1University of Puerto Rico–Río Piedras, Center 

for Urban, Community, and Business Action 

(Germán Ramos). 

•	1Juan Ponce de León High School in Florida 

(Elliot López). 

Partners represented at Tallonal included the following. 

• Tropic Ventures (Thrity “3t” Vakil and Andrés Rúa). 

• Puerto Rico Fire Department (Sgt. Joel Figueroa). 

•	1University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez Agricultural 

Extension Service (Dr. Hipólito O’Farril). 

•	1San Patricio Urban Forest (FSB) (Víctor 

Hernández). 

•	1Puerto Rico Conservation Trust (Juan 

Rodríguez). 

•	1Citizens for the Karst, Inc. (Abel Vale). 

Institute Headquarters—Historic and Sustainable

3
Support and Administration

IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Support and Administration 

Administrative Specialist: Adolfo Menéndez, amenendez@fs.fed.us 

Our Business Operations staff continues to provide critical support to the Institute’s Research, 

International Cooperation, and State and Private programs. Our staff engages in providing 

technical and administrative support in the areas of Budget, Engineering and Facilities 

Maintenance, Contracting and Procurement, Facilities and Property Management, Mail Services, Grants 

and Agreements, and Reception. 

Finances and Workforce 

The budget allocation for the Institute supports the workforce, business operations, and programs. Because of 

budget reductions, in FY 2012 we saw a decrease in the number of our temporary and part time work force—from 

last year’s 25 temporary/part time employees to today’s 12, a reduction of more than 50 percent. 

The numbers that follow (illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2) are for FY 2012 (October 1, 2011, through September 30, 

2012). 

Incoming Funding* 

•	1Research appropriations: $ 2.98 million 

•	1State and Private : $1.86 million 

•	1International cooperation: $550,000 

•	1Construction and related funds: $192,869 

•	1Administration: $1.47 million 

•	1TOTAL FUNDING: $7.06 million 

Distribution of Funds* 

•	1Employee salaries: $3.986 million
1

(56 percent)
1

•	1Support and operations: $0.445 million 

(6 percent) Figure 1. FY2012 Institute Funding. 

0 

0.5 

1 

1.5 

2 

2.5 

3 

3.5 

Research St & Prvt Intl Coop Admin 

Series1 

•	1Distributed to cooperators: $1.25 million 

(18 percent) 

Workforce Statistics 

•	1Total Institute workforce: 56 

•	1Permanent workforce: 44 

•	1Of the permanent workforce, 10 

employees (23 percent) are scientists. 

•	1Temporary workforce: 12 

Figure 2. International Institute of Tropical Forestry employees by 

status. 

0 

5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 

Research St & Pvt Intl Coop Admin 

Permanent 

Temps 

Scientists 

*Does not include American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. 

4
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Funding Partners for FY12 

Cooperators Who Received Funding from the Institute 

Non-Governmental Organizations 

•	1Area de Desarrollo y Conservación de Recursos 

El Atlántico, Inc. 

•	1Centro Para La Conservación del Paisaje 

•	1Consejo Asesor para la Forestación Urbana y de 

Comunidades de Puerto Rico, Inc. 

•	1Ciudadanos del Karso 

•	1Fundación Puertorriqueña de Conservación 

•	1International Society of Tropical Foresters 

•	1Natural History Society of Puerto Rico 

•	1Paso Pacíifico 

•	1Puerto Rico Conservation Trust Foundation 

•	1Southern Group of State Foresters 

•	1St. Croix Environmental Association 

•	1University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc. 

•	1*Virgin Islands Resource Conservation and 

Development Council, Inc. 

Private Industry and Individuals 

•	1The Greenleaf Group, Inc. 

•	1Dr. James Grogan 

Universities 

•	1Colorado State University 

•	1Oregon State University 

•	1Universidad Metropolitana 

•	1University of California–Berkeley 

•	1University of Indiana 

•	1University of Missouri 

•	1University of New Hampshire 

•	1University of Pennsylvania 

•	1University of Puerto Rico–Agricultural Extension 

Service 

•	1University of Puerto Rico–Research Division 

•	1University of Rhode Island 

State Government 

•	1Puerto Rico Fire Department 

•	1Puerto Rico Department of Natural and
 

Environmental Resources
 

•	1*Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and 

Public Works 

•	1U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture 

•	1U.S. Virgin Islands Fire Department 

Cooperators Who Provided Funds to the Institute 

•	1Puerto Rico Department of Natural and
 

Environmental Resources
 

•	1U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

•	1U.S. Geological Survey 

Support and Administration

*These partners received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. 

5
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Institute Social Media (Twitter) 

In 2012 in a concerted outreach effort, the Institute joined Twitter, providing a daily 

outlet for the latest news and activities at the Institute and about tropical forestry. The 

Institute account was also joined on Twitter by the Caribbean Landscape Conservation 

Cooperative (CLCC) account. 

Tana Wood collects soil samples in El 

Yunque for an ongoing drought experiment. 

Institute Twitter Account - @USFS_IITF

In 2012 the @USFS_INSTITUTE Twitter account, run by Dr. Tana Wood, has continued to grow with now more 

than 250 followers. With tweets about current activities and research in the Institute, a focus on international 

tropical forestry news, tropical forest ecology, and the impacts of climate change on tropical forests, it is an 

excellent source for scientists, students, and the general public. Part of the @USFS_INSTITUTE account is the 

#ScienceInAction theme, where everyone can see Institute scientists, employees, students, and volunteers 

working on a wide range of projects and activities. 

Institute Contact: Tana Wood, wood.tana@gmail.com 

Caribbean Landscape Conservation Cooperative 

Twitter Account - @Caribbean_LCC 

Like the @USFS_INSTITUTE Twitter feed, in 2012 the @Caribbean_LCC account—run 

by Kasey Jacobs, Gary Potts, and Dr. William Gould—has grown to more than 150 

followers. With tweets related to conservation priorities in the Caribbean, information 

about CLCC activities such as workshops and meetings, and news from around the 

Caribbean related to a wide range of topics including sea level rise, climate change, 

coral reefs, land cover and land use change, agriculture, and mangrove conservation, 

this feed provides a great opportunity to keep on top of the latest happenings in the 

Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Institute Contact: William Gould and Gary Potts, wgould@fs.fed.us and garyspotts@fs.fed.us 

Support and Administration

6
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Research and Development 

Project Leader: Grizelle González,ggonzalez@fs.fed.us 

Research has been the cornerstone of the Institute’s program since its inception. Early research focused on 

reforestation, plantation forestry, tropical species identification, forest inventory methods, endangered 

species, and carbon sequestration. Currently, the Institute’s research programs are focused on forest 

ecology, disturbance ecology, ecosystem functions and services, urban ecology, watershed dynamics, migratory 

species, climate change, and policy science to better understand the effects of natural and human-induced 

pressures on tropical forests and the landscapes in which they are found. 

Research will continue to focus on the Luquillo Experimental Forest and its Bisley Experimental Watershed LongTerm Ecological Research (LTER) work, the San Juan Urban Long-Term Research Area, the Guánica Biosphere 

Reserve, various novel secondary forests, and other ecosystems in Puerto Rico; the Estate Thomas Experimental 

Forest in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; the Brazilian Amazon; and throughout the Western Hemisphere in 

collaboration with partners in the region. 

The Institute has one work unit: IITF-4151. Its mission is to develop and disseminate scientifically based 

knowledge that contributes to the conservation of forests, wildlife, and watersheds of the American tropics in the 

context of environmental change. The work unit envisions that creativity and accomplishments result in timely 

products and services that anticipate the needs of society as it mitigates and adapts to environmental change.The 

Institute accomplishes its mission by developing and disseminating knowledge of scientifically sound practices 

that contribute to sustainable management of forest resources including water and wildlife, the conservation of 

primary forests, and the rehabilitation of degraded lands 

Research FY 2012 Key Accomplishments 

The Institute had a successful year in producing high-quality research and outreach related to environmental 

change, watershed management, wildlife management, protection of endangered species, forest ecology, and 

urban ecosystems. 

Information Technology Highlights of 2012 

With the assistance of the Chief Information Office, the Institute served as proof-of-concept for three projects that 

will benefit other R&D facilities with similar needs. 

•	1Network Attached Storage is a dedicated data storage technology that can be connected directly to a 

computer network to provide centralized data access and storage to heterogeneous network clients. 

The Institute was able to successfully implement this robust information technology corporate solution 

that facilitates and enhances research operation, addresses the research and development (R&D) data 

management needs and storage issues, enables a fast and continuous local access and management of large 

data files, and provides an efficient and secure backup procedure during the hurricane season. 

•	1Internet2 Network is the foremost advanced networking consortium in the United States. Led by the 

research and education community since 1996, Internet2 promotes leading-edge network capabilities and 

unique partnership opportunities that facilitate the development, deployment, and use of revolutionary 

internet technologies. The Forest Service’s Chief Information Office and Research and Development (R&D) 

Program have committed Forest Service R&D to a pilot exploration of Internet2 capability and efficacy. 

Two sites were selected for the pilot—the Rocky Mountain Research Station’s Fire Sciences Lab in Missoula, 

MT, and the Institute in Puerto Rico. Implementation at the Institute was done in partnership with the 

University of Puerto Rico. 

• This year the Institute FS Guest Wireless was installed at the Institute Headquarters and Sabana Field 

Research Station. 

Research and Development

7
Research and Development

IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Research Highlights of 2012 

• Forest Service R&D and International Programs 

collaborated to establish the Sustainable 

Landscapes Program in Brazil with support from 

USAID and the the U.S. Department of State. 

An Institute scientist leads the program from 

Brazil, where he is a visiting scientist with our 

sister agency, the Brazilian Agricultural Research 

Corporation. The program has developed 

partnerships with Brazilian government agencies 

and non-governmental organizations to improve 

forest carbon accounting in Brazil at local and 

national levels using advanced technologies such 

as airborne lidar (light detection and ranging) 

remote sensing. 

•	1The Institute has again shown that it is at 

the forefront of mapping tropical forests by 

producing the first-ever country-wide map of 

tropical forest tree communities. An Institute 

scientist led the use of multi-season satellite 

imagery to complete the most detailed map in 

existence of the forests and land cover of the 

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, which funded 

the work, and new 1:25,000 topographic maps. 

•	1The Institute is leading the Caribbean Landscape 

Conservation Cooperative (CLCC)—a multiorganization partnership to develop and 

put to use climate and conservation science 

to sustain and restore natural and cultural 

resources for the future. The CLCC is one of 

22 landscape conservation cooperatives that 

geographically cover the 50 States and include 

partners in Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. 

In addition to Institute leadership of the CLCC, 

R&D personnel are involved in the landscape 

conservation cooperative effort nationwide by 

serving on steering committees, advisory boards, 

and as science providers. 

•	1The Institute long-term avian community 

research in Puerto Rican dry and wet forest over 

the past 40 years continues to reveal population 

declines in several resident bird populations, 

and an alarming population collapse in nearcticneotropical migratory species over-wintering 

(for as many as 9 months) in dry forest. Research 

is underway to elucidate the cause-and-effect 

components in relation to our changing climate, 

among other factors. 

•	1Analyses of Kirtland’s Warbler data gathered 

over eight winters in the Bahamas continues. 

Results of analyses recently presented at an 

international conference show that rainfall in the 

Bahamas affects the endangered warbler’s body 

condition, which carries over to its Michigan 

breeding grounds. Analyses led by the Institute 

indicate that March droughts result in reduced 

body mass, which also corresponds with our 

cooperators’ findings that after these March 

droughts male Kirtland’s warblers arrive later on 

the breeding grounds, where late arrival results 

in reduced reproductive success. Therefore, 

wintering ground habitats that retain moisture 

during droughts are especially important for 

conservation of the Kirtland’s Warbler. 

D. Currie 

• An Institute team is researching the tropical 

forest response to climate change. These efforts 

have resulted in the development of multiagency collaborations to begin improving 

tropical forest representation in models and 

the development of a future ecosystem-scale 

climate manipulation experiment. Specifically: 

(1) participation in a Department of Energy 

workshop to discuss the Next Generation of 

Ecosystem Scale Experiments in the Tropics, 

which involved significant contribution to the 

resulting report; (2) a highly competitive USGS 

8
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Powell Center Award to improve representation 

of tropical forests and their response to warming 

in earth systems models; and (3) four scientific 

publications in prestigious journals. 

•	1The Forest Service’s Experimental Forests and 

Ranges (EFR) book series was published and its 

first book was made available online. Edited by 

Institute scientists and collaborators, the Luquillo 

Experimental Forest: Research History and 

Opportunities summarizes and illustrates more 

than 30 years of research at the site, including 

chapters on vegetation, ecosystem dynamics, 

soils, fungi, fauna, key findings, and, of course, 

emerging research opportunities. The book is 

a reflection of the intense research agenda and 

collaborations at the site. http://www.treesearch. 

fs.fed.us/pubs/41159. 

•	1The Institute is leading the Luquillo Long-Term 

Ecological Research Program (LUQ–LTER). 

The goal of LUQ–LTER is to understand how 

forest and stream ecosystems, and the services 

that they support, are changing in Puerto Rico, 

thereby providing guidance for management at a 

time of change in the tropics. 

•	1The Institute is a member of the core 

interdisciplinary team of the El Yunque National 

Forest Land Management Plan Revision Process. 

The El Yunque National Forest is one of the first 

national forests to begin its planning efforts 

under the new Forest Service planning rule. 

This year, Institute scientists have been directly 

involved in the development of the assessment 

report. 

•	1Institute scientists worked with the National 

Weather Service (NWS) in support of fire 

suppression activities. The Puerto Rico and 

U.S. Virgin Islands Fire Departments, a Multiagency coordination group involved in regional 

emergency response planning, and Forest Service 

State and Private Forestry and National Forest 

System personnel collaborated to develop and 

implement a Fire Danger Rating System for 

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 

NWS has adopted a set of fire danger zones 

developed by Institute researchers to reflect 

ecological variation associated with fuels and 

fire likelihood, replacing previous fire weather 

zones used by the NWS that had less ecologically 

meaningful boundaries. 

Puerto Rico Fire Department

Research and Development

Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. 

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Scientist Profiles 

Research and Development 

Ecosystem Ecology 

Soil Ecology 

Social Science 

Ariel E. Lugo 

Director 

Research interests: 

Assembly and functioning of novel ecosystems vulnerability, and 

functioning of urban ecosystems; response of tropical forests to 

environmental change. 

Grizelle González 

Project Leader 

Research interests: 

Soil ecology and biology, ecosystem ecology, tropical ecology, 

earthworm ecology. 

Kathleen McGinley 

Research Social Scientist 

Research interests: 

Natural resource and forest policies, institutions, and governance 

approaches, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean, to 

determine their effects on tropical landscapes, forests and other 

natural resources, and associated human dimensions. 

Tischa A. Muñoz-Erickson 

Research Social Scientist 

Research interests: 

Institutional arrangements, processes, and tools for facilitating 

more productive interactions among diverse research and policy 

stakeholders; and improving the ability of decision-makers, 

managers, and citizens to achieve more sustainable and just 

outcomes. 

Plant Physiology 

Ernesto Medina 

Adjunct Scientist 

Research interests: 

Physiological ecology of plants in stressful environments (wetlands, 

calcareous substrates) with emphasis on carbon balance, water stress, 

and nutrient relations. 

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Wildlife Ecology 

Wayne J. Arendt 

Wildlife Biologist 

Research interests: 

Disturbance ecology, climate change, conservation and management 

of neotropical resident and migratory bird communities and invasive 

species, with an emphasis on distribution, population dynamics, 

avian ectoparasites and life-history strategies. 

Joseph M. Wunderle Jr. 

Wildlife Biologist 

Research interests: 

Conservation biology of birds, especially neotropical-nearctic 

migrants and their response to human and natural disturbances with 

objective of devising management practices to ameliorate adverse 

effects. 

Research and Development

Silviculture 

Frank H. Wadsworth 

Emeritus Scientist 

Research interests: 

Scientific and technical basis for the management and sustainable 

use of forests and fiber-based products—silviculture and production. 

Biogeochemistry 

Tana E. Wood 

Adjunct Scientist 

Research interests: 

Effects of climate and land-use change on soil and ecosystem-level 

processes, with an approach ranging from field studies that evaluate 

landscape-scale responses, to variability in climate to laboratory 

experiments that elucidate linkages between microbes and the soil 

environment. 

Michael Keller 

Research Physical Scientist 

Research interests: 

Ecology and biogeochemistry of tropical forests, tropical 

deforestation and forest degradation, and the effects of changing 

tropical land uses on regional and global atmospheric composition. 

His studies have used a wide variety of tools including remote 

sensing, forest inventory, biogeochemical experimental 

manipulations, and ecosystem modeling. 

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Watersheds 

Tamara Heartsill-Scalley 

Research Ecologist 

Research interests: 

Ecosystem services of riparian zones and streams; riparian 

vegetation and stream dynamics in headwater catchments; 

ecosystem responses to disturbance; long-term plots in Caribbean 

forests; knowledge and perceptions of riparian zones and wetlands 

by adjacent communities and stakeholders. 

Landscape Ecology 

Eileen Helmer 

Research Ecologist 

Research interests: 

Relationships between tropical forest disturbance and dynamics 

from stand to landscape scales; monitoring forest disturbance, 

species composition, structure and phenology with satellite imagery; 

socioeconomic controls on tropical forest disturbance and recovery. 

William A. Gould 

Research Ecologist 

Research interests: 

Conservation science, biodiversity, ecology, land cover mapping, 

modeling future scenarios for conservation planning, and field 

education and outreach. 

Sebastián Martinuzzi 

Adjunct Scientist 

Research interests: 

Remote sensing, biodiversity conservation and environmental 

change. 

Azad Henareh 

Postdoctoral Scientist 

Research interests: 

Global effects of climate change, large-scale vegetation and 

ecosystem change, disturbances and their interactions on landscape 

structure and ecosystem functions at large scales, and changes in 

their dynamics through time. 

Research and Development

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Research Highlights By Scientist 

I. Water, Air, And Soil 

1.Rainfall chemistry along elevation 

gradient 

We studied spatial and temporal patterns of inorganic 

ion composition rainfall in northeastern Puerto Rico, 

for the years 2010–2011. 

Rainfall amount and ion concentrations vary along 

altitudinal gradients, in a process associated with 

exposure of mountain slopes to predominant winds. 

Rainfall was collected fortnightly from 

20 stations (Fig. 3) located in coastal and 

interior lowlands at 0 to 100 meters; in lower 

montane sites at 200 to 500 meters; and in 

upper montane sites at the cloud formation 

level of 650 to 800 meters, and at the upper 

cloud formation level of 900 to 1,000 meters. 

Ion concentration in rainfall was measured 

once a month. 

Total rainfall increased consistently and 

by a similar magnitude in all stations from 

2009 to 2010, and decreased by a smaller 

magnitude in 2011 for all stations except the 

southeastern stations Humacao and Palmas 

del Mar (Fig. 4). The data for Río Grande 

and Toro reveal a decrease in rainfall in spite 

of their elevation. The pattern of increasing 

rainfall with elevation in Puerto Rico is valid 

only for the stations located in areas facing 

the northeast trade winds. 

Average volume-weighted concentrations showed 

consistent variations with altitude during the period 

2010–2011. The ion/sodium ratios used as indicators 

of the influence of marine aerosols were fairly similar 

for all stations in the case of chloride and magnesium; 

those of sulfate/sodium were about twice as high, 

whereas those of potassium/sodium and calcium/ 

sodium ratios were considerable higher than the 

reference sea water values. The variability of those 

Research and Development

Figure 3. Weather station locations. 

ratios was large, in part 

due to the unusually 

large values for 

potassium and calcium 

in the Sabana Seca 

station. 

Lowland coastal 

and interior stations 

showed higher volumeweighted concentrations 

of chloride, sodium, 

and magnesium 

in agreement with 

measurements in 2009 

(Fig. 5). Concentrations 

of sulfate were lower 

for 2010–2011 compared 

to the values reported 

for 2009, but again ion 

concentrations measured 

at cloud formation 

Figure 4. Total rainfall 2009-2011 stations distributed according to altitude above sea level. level and upper cloud 

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Research and Development

Figure 5. Average volume - weighted concentrations main 

ions in rainfall for the period 2009-2011 (n=20-22). 

Bars (2010-2011) indicate standard error of the 

volume-weighted mean. 

formation level stations showed a clear tendency to 

lower values. Concentrations of potassium and sodium 

were consistently lower for cloud formation and upper 

cloud formation levels. 

The calculated values of annual inputs of ions showed 

a pattern revealing that total rainfall was more 

important than ion concentration in determining the 

amount of ions deposited in rainfall. Input of chloride 

was at or above 142 kilograms per hectare per year in 

upper montane stations and below 69 kilograms per 

hectare per year in the lowland stations. The same 

pattern was observed in the case of sulfate—around 16 

kilograms per hectare per year in the upper montane 

stations compared to 6 kilograms per hectare per year 

in the lowland coastal stations. 

The sodium and magnesium cations showed an 

altitudinal pattern similar to that of chloride and 

sulfate. Sodium averaged about 92 kilograms per 

hectare per year in the upper montane stations and 45 

kilograms sodium per hectare per year in the lowland 

stations. For magnesium the input was around 10 

kilograms per hectare per year in the upper montane 

stations and 7 kilograms per hectare per year in the 

lowland stations. Potassium and sodium did not show 

a clear altitudinal pattern.
1

Institute Contacts: Ernesto Medina and Grizelle 

González, medinage@gmail.com and ggonzalez@fs.fed.us 

2. Assessing the carbon balance of a novel 

forest stand in the karst region of Puerto 

Rico 

Tropical forests play a major role in the global carbon 

cycle, and their soils represent the largest natural 

source of carbon dioxide (CO2

) to the atmosphere. As 

such, research that quantifies the natural variability 

of soil CO2

 efflux in these ecosystems and identifies 

potential climatic controls could improve our ability 

to predict the response of this large carbon flux to 

future climate change. As part of an overarching 

goal to estimate the net carbon balance of a novel 

subtropical forest stand dominated by the introduced 

species, Castilla elastica, we installed an automated 

soil respiration system in March 2011 in the privately 

owned El Tallonal Reserve. Since installation, we have 

consistently measured hourly CO2

 efflux from six 

permanently placed chambers. We have additionally 

collected meteorological data from two towers 

installed at the site. Mean daily soil CO2

 efflux varied 

significantly over the first year of data collection. 

This seasonal variation was significantly positively 

related to air temperature (R2=0.58, p=0.0001). In 

addition to significant seasonal variation, soil CO2 

efflux also varied on a diel time scale, demonstrating 

a bi-modal pattern with a depression occurring at 

midday. Results from the first year of soil respiration 

data were presented by Omar Gutiérrez del Arroyo, 

an undergraduate student at the University of 

Puerto Rico, at the 2012 Annual Luquillo Long-Term 

Ecological Research Meeting in Puerto Rico and at 

the 97th Annual Ecological Society of America (ESA) 

meeting in Portland, OR. Omar was awarded best 

undergraduate poster presentation at the ESA meeting. 

He was also awarded a prestigious Sigma Xi Grantsin-Aid of Research Award to purchase soil moisture 

and temperature probes for the El Tallonal research. 

In collaboration with the Institute, Omar will continue 

researching controls on soil respiration at El Tallonal 

as a Masters degree student at the University of Puerto 

Rico. 

Collaborating Institutions: Citizens for the Karst; 

Fundación Puertorriqueña de Conservación; and 

University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras 

Institute Contacts: Tana E. Wood and Ariel E. Lugo, 

wood.tana@gmail.com and alugo@fs.fed.us 

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

3. Millipedes and litter decay: direct and 

indirect effects on litter of varying lignin 

content 

Millipedes constitute an essential part of tropical 

ecosystems for their role in decomposition and nutrient 

cycling. Diplopods can influence decomposition 

directly by fragmenting leaf litter and indirectly 

by impacting microbial biomass. We investigated 

both the direct and indirect effects of millipedes on 

decomposition in a subtropical wet forest in Puerto 

Rico using microcosms. 

C. Murphy 

The microcosms consisted of clear plastic containers, 

with mesh tops to keep millipedes within. 

We studied the influence of the substrate, by using 

three leaf species with varying lignin/nitrogen ratios, 

and the effect of millipede density on the abovementioned direct and indirect effects. We found that 

the remaining leaf mass and leaf area were lowest in 

the leaf species with the lowest L/N ratio (Dacryodes 

excelsa). There was significantly less leaf mass 

remaining from microcosms with the highest density 

of millipedes. Soil microbial biomass was significantly 

higher under D. excelsa leaves than for the other litter 

species, but microbial biomass did not significantly 

differ among the different millipede densities. We 

found that the effect of millipedes differed depending 

on the lignin content of the litter species when the C. Murphy 

Millipedes used in the microcosms were all from the 

Order Stemmiulida, Family Stemmiulidae. 

litter species were looked at separately, with the 

highest lignin-content leaf species (Rourea surinamensis) 

having significantly less leaf mass remaining with 

millipedes than without at the last collection. Soil pH 

was significantly affected by the litter species and the 

density of millipedes. Our results show that millipedes 

had direct effects on decomposition by fragmenting 

litter, and this effect depended on litter quality; they 

also suggest that millipedes had little or no indirect 

effects in terms of influencing microbial biomass. 

Institute Contact: Grizelle González, ggonzalez@fs.fed.us 

4. Effects of drought on tropical soil 

biogeochemistry and greenhouse gas 

emissions 

Although considerable uncertainty remains, many 

climate models predict large areas of the tropics will 

experience significant declines in precipitation in 

the coming decades. Projected changes in tropical 

forest water availability could significantly alter the 

net balance of greenhouse gases that contribute to 

climate change. Tropical soils release large amounts 

of carbon dioxide (CO2

) as a by-product of organic 

matter decomposition as well as several other soil 

microbial processes that are known to be influenced 

by water availability. These biological processes 

also control the emission and consumption of key 

greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide (N2O) and 

methane (CH4). In collaboration with the NOAA 

Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship 

Program and the University of California-Berkeley, the 

Institute supported the establishment of a throughfall 

exclusion experiment in the Bisley Experimental 

Watershed. (Throughfall is rainfall in a forest area that 

is not intercepted by the crown canopy and reaches 

the forest floor.) This experiment simulated the effects 

of a prolonged dry season by preventing throughfall 

from reaching the forest floor for a 3-month period 

using clear plastic panels. Greenhouse-gas emissions 

from soil were measured before, during, and after 

the experiment. The short-term simulated “drought” 

resulted in significant reductions in CO2

 emissions 

and an increase in both N2O and CH4 consumption. 

However, topographic position significantly influenced 

the direction and magnitude of the effect of drought 

on greenhouse gas emissions, which challenges our 

ability to accurately represent tropical forest responses 

to drought in earth system models. As a follow up to 

the aforementioned study, a second simulated drought 

was imposed in the same system. Results from this 

experiment showed that pre-exposure to drought 

increases the resistance of soil bacterial communities 

to extended drought. This work was published 

in Global Biogeochemical Cycles and a review of the 

publication appeared in the journal Nature. Results 

from the microbial work are currently in press with 

Research and Development

15
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Research and Development

the International Society of Microbial Ecology Journal. In 

addition to publications in scientific journals, Institute 

scientists contributed significantly to a chapter on 

drought effects in the tropics as part of a summary 

report on a 2012 DOE workshop on the Critical 

Research Needs for Tropical Ecosystems 

Collaborating Institutions: University of CaliforniaBerkeley, NOAA Climate and Global Change 

Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, Lawrence Berkeley 

National Laboratory, and Luquillo Long-Term 

Ecological Research 

Institute Contacts: Tana E. Wood and Ariel E. Lugo, 

wood.tana@gmail.com and alugo@fs.fed.us 

5. Seasonality and forest succession in 

tropical watersheds affect stream exports 

Continuous export of organic matter from montane 

streams depends on forested headwaters contributing 

leaf litter of varied quantity and quality year round. 

Independently of the level of hillslope or stream 

runoff, the state of watershed vegetation development 

limits how much material can be exported during a 

storm. The synergy between hurricane intensity and 

frequency, and level of vegetation maturity, defines the 

long-term pattern of high leaf litter export events in 

forested watersheds. Headwaters under non-forested 

land cover conditions may not be able to retain and 

process a large percentage of leaf litter inputs, which in 

turn affects water quality and resource availability for 

aquatic ecosystems downstream. 

In the Bisley Experimental Watershed, stream leaf litter 

exports varied in terms of quality (nutrient content) 

between the dry and wet season during a 15-year 

study. Variation in the quantity and quality of exported 

material depended on traits of particular events 

(storms, hurricanes), season, and the successional 

status of the forest. The quality (chemical composition) 

of exports varies temporally, with proportion of carbon 

to nitrogen being highest in the driest months (low 

quality for consumers) and lowest during rainy months 

(high quality for consumers). 

The differences in export quality signal that more 

attention should be given to changes in rainfall 

seasonality in the tropics, because these changes could 

not only affect stream discharge and timing of new leaf 

and flower production, but also increase the seasonal 

range in quality of organic matter exports to reach 

streams. 

The export and retention of leaf litter greatly influences 

the water quality, food webs, and habitat structure 

of forested headwater streams. With this in mind, 

watershed and aquatic wildlife managers need to 

consider that changes in the quality of organic matter 

resources in streams can potentially alter ecosystem 

processes and aquatic food webs that depend on them. 

Collaborating Institution: University of Pennsylvania 

Institute Contact: Tamara Heartsill Scalley, theartsill@ 

fs.fed.us 

6. New study shows reduced-impact logging 

maintains tropical rain forest’s critical role in 

carbon and water cycling 

For decades scientists and foresters have debated how 

best to reap economic benefits from tropical rainforests 

while still maintaining their high biodiversity and 

critical roles in the global carbon, energy, and water 

cycles. In an unprecedented comparison of a logged 

tropical forest with an intact forest ecosystem, a 

new scientific study, “Reduced Impact Logging 

Minimally Alters Tropical Rainforest Carbon and 

Energy Exchange,” conclusively demonstrates that 

with reduced-impact logging, Amazon rainforests can 

generate profits while emitting only 4 percent of the 

carbon emissions that come with total forest clearing. 

In reduced-impact logging, loggers cut the heavy 

vines that connect trees and direct where the trees 

that have been selected for harvest will fall. Far fewer 

surrounding trees are damaged or killed when the 

target logs fall than in conventional selective logging. 

The study, led by Dr. Scott D. Miller of the State 

University of New York at Albany, was co-authored by 

Dr. Michael Keller of the Institute, who envisioned and 

initiated the study in 1997. Miller and Keller are joined 

by co-authors from several American and Brazilian 

universities. The study measured the exchanges of 

carbon dioxide and water between forests and the 

16
 

IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

atmosphere, comparing an old-growth forest in 

Central Amazonia with one nearby that was logged 

commercially using reduced-impact methods. The 

scientists monitored the air exchanges from a 65-meter 

(213-foot) tall tower that extended above the forest 

canopy. Detailed measurements of the carbon exchange 

and the carbon stocks in live and dead trees showed 

that the logged forest lost carbon during the first year 

after logging but thereafter the forest carbon balance 

turned positive. Similarly, forest transpiration declined 

II. Wildlife 

1. Duration and rate of spring migration in 

the endangered Kirtland’s Warbler 

For most migrant birds, mortality during the annual 

cycle is believed to be highest during migration, at least 

relative to the more sedentary breeding and wintering 

periods. However, for most birds little is known about 

their ecology and behavior during migration, and 

hence, we are mostly ignorant of the various factors 

that may contribute to mortality during migration. This 

lack of knowledge pertaining to migration also applies 

to the duration of migration or the number of days 

it takes an individual bird to fly from its wintering 

grounds to its breeding grounds. 

Prior to our study little was known about the 

endangered Kirtland’s Warbler migratory behavior. 

Because of the warbler’s limited breeding range 

(Michigan and small colonies recently established 

in Wisconsin and Ontario) and wintering grounds 

restricted to the Bahamas Archipelago, Wunderle 

and his collaborators were able to estimate the 

duration of spring migration for five male Kirtland’s 

Warblers (Ewert et al. 2012). This was accomplished 

by capturing Kirtland’s Warblers and providing each 

individual with a unique combination of color-bands 

enabling recognition of individuals by observation 

with binoculars in the field. Wintering warblers were 

banded on Eleuthera, Bahamas, where our field crew 

regularly observed individuals in April and noted 

the dates when they disappeared from their winter 

territory. Once a banded male disappeared, cooperators 

in Michigan were notified to search for the specified 

banded individuals as they returned to their breeding 

territories. Each of the banded male warblers had 

been observed in Michigan in the previous breeding 

season, so the Michigan observers knew where to 

search for specific individuals as they arrived on their 

briefly but the water budget of the logged forest 

returned to pre-logging levels within a year. 

Logging is a profitable land use in the Brazilian 

Amazon, and frequently it is considered as nothing 

more than a process that accelerates deforestation. This 

study shows to the contrary that by using reducedimpact methods, logging can be ecologically benign 

while being economically beneficial. 

A copy of the study can be obtained at www.pnas.org. 

Institute Contact: Michael Keller, mkeller.co2@gmail.com 

breeding territories. Therefore, by observing uniquely 

color-banded males at or near both the beginning 

and end of spring migration we were able to estimate 

the average duration of spring migration. The actual 

times of migration could be less than the durations 

that we reported because an individual may not have 

departed immediately following its last observation 

on Eleuthera. Also, individuals may not have been 

observed on the day of their arrival on their Michigan 

breeding territory. 

Based on field observations we estimated that the 

average duration of spring migration for these five 

individuals to have been no more than 15.8 days (range 

13–23 days) to cover approximately 2,200 kilometers 

(1,367 miles) from Eleuthera to Michigan (Fig. 6). On 

average, these five males were moving at a rate of 144.5 

kilometers per day (96.1–169.1 kilometers per day) 

or 89.8 miles per day during their spring migration. 

This migratory rate of male Kirtland’s Warblers was 

comparable to individual migratory rates that have 

been studied in other song bird species. 

These observations indicate that male song birds 

migrate relatively quickly during spring migration and 

likely do not linger for long in their stopover sites as 

they make their way north. Our understanding of the 

various ecological, meteorological, and physiological 

factors that affect duration and rate of migration will 

be better understood as advancing technology provides 

sophisticated monitoring techniques (e.g., light-sensing 

geolocators) to permit researchers to follow larger 

numbers of individual birds during migration. These 

new techniques will help us determine when and 

where along the migratory route Kirtland’s Warblers 

are most vulnerable, and allow us to develop a 

comprehensive conservation program for the species. 

Institute Contact: Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., jwunderlejr@ 

fs.fed.us 

Research and Development

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Research and Development

Figure 6. Approximate breeding and wintering locations (A) of color-banded male Kirtland’s Warblers for which durations and 

rates of spring migration were determined. Dashed line with arrow indicating the Michigan breeding grounds shows 

the approximate 2200 km direct route from Eleuthera, The Bahamas. The breeding sites (B) for the color-banded 

males are shown by county in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The wintering sites where the color-banded males 

were observed are shown (C) for southern Eleuthera, The Bahamas. This figure was reproduced from Ewert et al. 

(2012) published in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 

2. Differences in knowledge between rural 

and urban residents in their knowledge 

about birds and their conservation in Puerto 

Rico 

As part of his doctoral dissertation, Edgar VázquezPlass quantified people’s knowledge and opinions 

about Puerto Rican birds and compared their responses 

in rural and urban communities in northeastern 

Puerto Rico (Vázquez-Plass and Wunderle 2010). 

Data were gathered through interviews using a 

standardized questionnaire presented to 131 people 

in rural and urban areas in the vicinity of the Luquillo 

Experimental Forest. The sampled urban residents 

had significantly higher levels of education than the 

rural residents and were more knowledgeable about 

the bird species in their neighborhoods than were the 

rural residents. Rural and urban residents did not 

differ in their knowledge of exotic bird species in their 

communities and both identified psittacids (parrots 

and parakeets) and finches as the most common 

exotics in their neighborhoods. Approximately half 

the respondents failed to identify exotic bird species in 

their communities (rural 56 percent, urban 47 percent) 

and only 5.7 percent of rural and 6.3 percent of urban 

residents had exotic birds as pets. 

However, the two groups of respondents did differ 

in what they considered important threats to birds in 

their neighborhoods. For example, urban residents 

cited urban sprawl (48 percent) deforestation (44 

percent), and hunting (5 percent) in contrast to rural 

residents who mentioned deforestation (44 percent), 

urban sprawl (31 percent), and hunting (25 percent) 

as important threats affecting birds. The respondents 

also differed significantly in their perception of the 

effectiveness of conservation laws and regulations. 

Although 58 percent of the rural respondents believed 

that current conservation laws are adequate, only 45 

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

percent of urban respondents believed these laws are 

adequate. Overall, both rural and urban residents had 

little knowledge of birds in their communities although 

the two groups differed in their opinions and attitudes 

regarding conservation issues facing bird populations. 

Institute Contact: Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., jwunderlejr@ 

fs.fed.us 

3. Photographic key to determine age and 

gender in two Thryothorus wrens from 

Nicaragua’s Pacific slope: a visual and 

metric aid to determining age and gender in 

tropical wrens 

We used meristics, plumage, and molt characteristics 

to derive an innovative photographic key to be used 

by neotropical bird biologists to determine age and 

gender in two species of neotropical wrens (Thryothorus 

rufalbus and T. modestus). Our results and key are useful 

in age and gender determination within the family, 

a daunting task throughout the species’ range, but 

especially in the tropics, where few studies have been 

done. 

Knowing a bird’s age is an essential component of 

long-term avian banding programs designed to track 

changes in the demographics of nearctic-neotropical 

migrants and permanent residents, while monitoring 

their population trends. Plumage characteristics 

can be used to determine the gender and (much less 

often) the age of sexually dichromatic species. Avian 

sexual dichromatism is prominent in species with 

wide geographical ranges, and especially in those 

that undergo long-distance migration, whereas it is 

much less common in species with limited distribution 

and restricted movements. Neotropical wrens, 

which are members of the mostly new-world family 

Troglodytidae (only 1 of 80 species is found in Eurasia), 

generally tend to be sexually monochromatic (although 

seasonal sexual dichromatism occurs in some species). 

Consequently, wrens pose a serious challenge for aging 

and sexing. 

To investigate the best techniques to confidently age 

and sex two permanent-resident wrens, we captured 

153 individuals of both species: 92 total (36 captures, 

56 recaptures.) rufous-and-white wrens (Thryothorus 

rufalbus), and 61 total (45, 16) plain wrens (T. modestus). 

We discovered that the gradation in the hues of the 

eumelanin (black) pigment in the feather barbs of 

both species (lighter in young birds) can be used with 

confidence in aging but should be used in combination 

with molt limits in the flight feathers (primaries, 

secondaries, and rectrices). Wing chord length, in 

combination with plumage characters and brood patch, 

are reliable criteria for determining the sex of rufousand-white wrens. Knowledge of the demographics 

of disturbance-sensitive species, including several 

neotropical wrens, is essential in habitat conservation 

and management. 

Collaborating Institutions: Universidad 

Centroamericana, Managua; Paso Pacífico; and 

Biodiversity Research Institute, Maine 

Institute Contact: Wayne Arendt, warendt@fs.fed.us 

Wildlife Researcher demonstrating banding techniques for wren photographic key. 

Research and Development

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

III. Resource Management and Use 

1. Assessing litterfall trap bias: are traps 

preferentially representing certain kinds of 

leaf litter? 

Several factors may cause bias while sampling litterfall, 

which can lead to over- or under-representation of 

the species present in the surrounding vegetation. 

For example, trees standing precisely above litterfall 

traps, or vegetation having big and wide crowns and/ 

or with high leaf fall rate, may be over-represented 

in litterfall samples. Additionally, trees or shrubs 

standing upslope or in the windward side of litterfall 

traps may be more likely to have their litter collected 

in litterfall traps. Conversely, species with big and/or 

heavy leaves or fronds may be under-represented in 

litterfall traps. However, the few studies dealing with 

patterns of litterfall dispersal and collection have found 

contradictory results. In this study, we examine the 

correspondence between litterfall samples and standing 

vegetation in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto 

Rico. 

We compared litterfall and standing vegetation in a 

subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico at three spatial 

scales (forest, 106 m2

; sampling blocks, 4x104 m2; and 

plots, 4x102 m2

) to: (1) determine the effect of tree 

height, crown area, leaf size, and distance to traps 

on litterfall species composition; (2) determine if 

representativeness of litterfall samples was affected 

by litter traps’ central or lateral location relative to 

vegetation plots; and (3) gain insights on scaling up 

data of litterfall from sampling plots into forest stand 

scale (Fig. 7). 

Higher height and a wider crown were more important 

than a closer location to litter traps with respect to 

determining relative abundance of species in litterfall 

samples. Central and lateral traps provided equally 

representative samples at the forest scale. However, 

correlations between litterfall and plant species relative 

abundances at the plot scale showed that central traps 

better represented the surrounding vegetation than 

lateral traps. When comparing vegetation community 

with litterfall across scales, similarity decreased from 

the scale of forest to that of plots. Leaf size had a slight 

effect on litterfall composition, suggesting that big and 

heavy leaves could be under-represented in litterfall 

samples. Because of the wide range of horizontal 

mobility of leaf litter, traps were not necessarily 

collecting leaf litter from the near vicinity. Therefore, 

care should be taken when scaling up from small 

to intermediate sampling units, owing to the high 

variation of leaf litter dispersal at scales lower than 102 

m2

. 

Collaborating Institution: University of Puerto Rico 

Institute Contact: Grizelle González, ggonzalez@fs.fed.us 

Figure 7. Location of blocks, adjacent plots (square plots, numbered 1-4 within each block), 

surrounding plots (circular plots), and litter traps (LT) in El Verde research area. 

Inferred area covered by each block is 40,000 m2

 (broken lines). The complete study 

area covers around 106 m2

. 

20
2. Knowledge-action systems analysis for 

urban governance and sustainability 

A recent issue of Scientific American poses the idea 

that as engines of culture, innovation, and economic 

activity, cities play a pivotal role in the ability of society 

to develop in a better, more innovative and sustainable 

manner. It behooves us to understand, evaluate, and 

design knowledge and anticipatory capacities that 

help city managers and residents formulate positive, 

plausible visions for transformative relationships of 

society and ecosystems. Yet, frameworks to evaluate 

and design novel and adaptive capacities in urban 

systems are virtually non-existent. This research 

examined how knowledge-action systems—the 

networks of actors involved in the production, sharing, 

and use of policy-relevant knowledge—work in 

order to determine 

what capacities 

are necessary 

to effectively 

attain sustainable 

outcomes. I 

developed and 

applied a novel 

interdisciplinary 

framework—the 

knowledge-action 

system analysis 

(KASA) framework 

(Fig. 8)—and 

implemented it 

in the contested 

context of land 

use and green area 

governance in San 

Figure 9. Conceptual Model of the Knowledge-Action System Analysis 

(KASA) Framework 

IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Juan in order to evaluate institutional capacities to 

address and implement sustainable strategies in the 

city. The application of KASA involved five steps and 

quantitative and qualitative tools from social science 

research methods: 

a. Knowledge mapping with surveys and social 

network analysis (Fig. 9); 

b. Identifying central actors and examining 

knowledge-power relations in the network using 

social network analysis (Fig. 10); 

c. Analyzing dominant and marginal visions for the 

future of the city using ethnographic methods 

such as interviews, media, and official document 

analysis; 

d. Exploring influences of epistemic cultures on 

vision divergence (same methods as above); and 

e. Understanding 

dynamics and 

politics of expertise 

using participant 

observation methods, 

interviews, and 

document analysis. 

Results from the 

analysis revealed a 

diverse network of 

actors contributing 

different types 

of knowledge, 

suggesting a potential 

for creativity and 

innovation in 

governance. These 

capacities, however, 

Figure 9. Knowledge network ‘maps’ to characterize the diversity and the structure of the 

network’s central actors. 

Research and Development

21
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Research and Development

Figure 10. Knowledge-action system analysis in San Juan. 

are hindered by various political and cultural factors, 

such as: (1) actors who dominate knowledge about 

land use are the same ones who hold power over the 

resource; (2) a knowledge hierarchy exists in which 

conventional expertise and planning procedures 

dominate over other alternative ways of knowing; (3) 

multiple visions and possible pathways for the city 

exist that have not been deliberated or tested; and 

(4) boundary spanning opportunities are limited by 

assumptions that knowledge and action should be 

done in distinct policy spheres of city planning. 

This study shows that developing adaptive and 

innovative capacities necessary to transition to 

sustainability in cities like San Juan is not solely a 

matter of harnessing more science or technology, but 

about managing the politics of knowledge and visions 

of the city that emerge from complex governance 

systems. 

Institute Contact: Tischa A. Muñoz, tamunozerickson@ 

fs.fed.us 

3. Forest regulations are rigorous throughout 

much of the Americas, but implementation 

remains a challenge in Latin America 

While forestry rules and regulations for private land 

are often stricter and more comprehensive in Central 

and South America compared to the United States, 

poor implementation in many cases mostly makes 

them ineffective and underscores the need for better 

enforcement and incentives. 

Since the first Earth Summit in 1991, most countries 

in the Americas have significantly revised their 

forest laws and regulations in order to better achieve 

sustainable forest management. U.S. Forest Service 

scientists wanted to know more about the intended 

and actual effects of these laws on forest sustainability 

and how they compare among countries—information 

that has not been studied much but is crucial to the 

effective design and implementation of good forest 

governance. With a group of forest policy scientists 

from throughout the Americas, the Forest Service led a 

study that examined key components of natural forest 

management and how they are addressed through 

legislation and other policy directives in Argentina, 

Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, 

Paraguay, Uruguay, and the United States. They found 

that, on paper, Latin America is not an unregulated 

frontier, as occasionally claimed by some critics. In 

fact, much of Latin America has more rigorous and 

comprehensive forestry rules (i.e., stricter thresholds on 

more environmental, economic, and social aspects) for 

private land than much of the United States. Overall, 

the protection of at-risk species and riparian buffers 

are required in all countries and include specific 

prescriptions in most; forest management planning 

and secure legal land title or tenancy are commonly 

required; and mandatory processes to protect soil 

and water quality are customary. Less common 

requirements include forest monitoring and social and 

economic aspects, and, when in place, they are usually 

voluntary. 

However, while there was a significant degree of 

rigor and comprehensiveness in the forestry rules 

from Latin America, significant gaps persist between 

rules on paper and rules in use. On the whole, despite 

significant efforts to improve governmental forest 

regulation and to increase the transparency and 

legality of timber production and commerce in the 

tropics in particular, competing land uses, unclear 

tenure, and limited institutional capacity for effective 

implementation and enforcement of forest legislation 

continue to be significant challenges for advancing 

the sustainability of forest management in many Latin 

American countries. Ultimately, the researchers stress 

that it is not the number, rigor, or comprehensiveness 

of rules and regulations related to forest sustainability 

that matter as much as the implementation and 

Reviewing Compliance of Harvest in the Consorcio Forestal 

Amazónico, Ucayali, Perú. 

22
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

application of sound practices on the ground, which 

ultimately depend on the appropriate mix and balance 

of mandatory requirements for sustainable forest 

management, voluntary guidelines, information and 

education, and laissez faire. 

Collaborating Institutions: Universidad de la 

República, Uruguay; North Carolina State University; 

IV. Climate Change 

1. Tundra vegetation and climate change: 

results from long-term global observation 

and experimentation 

Information from studies around the circumpolar 

biome was analyzed to look for trends over time in 

the relative cover of various tundra vegetation growth 

forms—and to measure the relationship of these trends 

with climate change. Long-term observations generally 

match experimental warming findings; the response 

of vegetation to warming varied depending on initial 

climate and the suite of species present. The greatest 

increases in shrub cover are in the warmer parts of the 

Arctic. 

Long-Term Observations. Temperature is increasing at 

unprecedented rates across most of the tundra biome. 

Remote-sensing data indicate that contemporary 

climate warming has already resulted in increased 

productivity over much of the Arctic, but plotbased evidence for vegetation transformation is not 

widespread. We analyzed change in tundra vegetation 

surveyed between 1980 and 2010 in 158 plant 

communities spread across 46 locations (Fig. 11). We 

found biome-wide trends of increased height of the 

plant canopy and maximum observed plant height 

for most vascular growth forms, increased abundance 

of litter, increased abundance of evergreen, lowgrowing, and tall shrubs, and decreased abundance 

of bare ground. Inter-site comparisons indicated an 

association between the degree of summer warming 

and change in vascular plant abundance, with shrubs, 

forbs, and rushes increasing with warming. However, 

the association was dependent on the climate zone, the 

moisture regime, and the presence of permafrost. Our 

data provide plot-scale evidence linking changes in 

vascular plant abundance to local summer warming in 

widely dispersed tundra locations across the globe. 

Global Experimental Results. Understanding the 

sensitivity of tundra vegetation to climate warming is 

critical to forecasting future biodiversity and vegetation 

feedbacks to climate. In-situ warming experiments 

accelerate climate change on a small scale to forecast 

responses of local plant communities. Limitations of 

this approach include the apparent site-specificity of 

results and uncertainty about the power of short-term 

studies to anticipate longer term change. We address 

Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, 

Argentina; Universidad Austral de Chile; Universidade 

Federal de Viçosa, Brasil; Universidad Nacional de 

Asunción, Paraguay 

Institute Contact: Kathleen McGinley, kmcginley@fs.fed.us 

Research and Development 

Figure 11. Study sites spread across the tundra biome in 

the Arctic, alpine and Antarctic regions. Black 

symbols represent the grid-cell centers of the 

46 locations into which the 158 studies were 

grouped for the analysis (from Elmendorf et 

al. 2012: http://treesearch/pubs/41558). 

these issues with a synthesis of 61 experimental 

warming studies, of up to 20 years duration, in tundra 

sites worldwide (Fig. 12). The response of plant groups 

to warming often differed with ambient summer 

temperature, soil moisture, and experimental duration. 

Shrubs increased with warming only where ambient 

temperature was high, whereas graminoids increased 

23
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Research and Development

Figure 12. Average effects of warming on community attributes and growth form abundance (a) and vegetation 

height (b). Bars show the weighted mean effect size (standardized mean difference) based on interceptonly weighted linear mixed models of all studies and sampling years. Error bars show 95% credible 

intervals. Median per cent change recorded over all studies and years is inset above or below the 

corresponding bar. The x-axis labels show response variable and number of studies included in the 

analysis (from Elmendorf et al. 2012: http://treesearch/pubs/40535). 

primarily in the coldest study sites. Linear increases in 

effect size over time were frequently observed. There 

was little indication of saturating or accelerating effects, 

as would be predicted if negative or positive vegetation 

feedbacks were common. These results indicate that 

tundra vegetation exhibits strong regional variation in 

response to warming, and that in vulnerable regions, 

cumulative effects of long-term warming on tundra 

vegetation—and associated ecosystem consequences— 

have the potential to be much greater than we have 

observed to date. 

Collaborating Institutions: University of British 

Columbia; Grand Valley State University; University 

of Gothenburg; Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières; 

University of Tromsø; VU University Amsterdam; 

Arizona State University; Umeå University; Moscow 

State Lomonosov University; Environment Canada; 

University of California at Berkeley; University of 

Alberta; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research; 

University of Texas; University of Saskatchewan; 

University of Iceland; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 

Norwegian University of Life Sciences; Colorado State 

University; Hokkaido University; Icelandic Institute 

of Natural History; University of Copenhagen; 

Florida International University; Institute for Snow 

and Avalanche Research, Aarhus University; Marine 

Biological Laboratory, University of California at Davis; 

Forest Research Institute, University of Oulu; La Trobe 

University; Michigan State University; and University 

of Alaska Anchorage. 

Institute Contact: William A. Gould, wgould@fs.fed.us 

2. Global warming and the potential effects 

on the tropical forest carbon balance 

Global models project a significant and permanent 

increase in temperature in tropical regions over the 

next 2 decades. Given the importance of tropical 

forests to the global carbon budget, understanding the 

potential for these forests to adapt to an unprecedented 

temperature regime is critical to our ability to 

accurately predict feedbacks to future climate. In 

response to a recognized need to understand the 

tropical forest response to increased temperatures, the 

Institute is leading a collaborative effort to develop a 

full-scale forest warming experiment in Puerto Rico. 

24
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

This experiment would be the first to integrate both 

canopy and soil warming in a forested ecosystem 

and will enable us to determine the resilience and 

adaptability of these valuable ecosystems to increasing 

temperatures. 

Over the past year, the Institute’s scientists and 

collaborators have laid the groundwork for a multiinstitution collaboration on understanding the 

tropical forest response to increased temperature; 

the collaboration includes the Department of Energy 

(DOE), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. 

Forest Service, the University of Puerto Rico-Río 

Piedras (UPR), and the Institute. Specific activities 

included: (1) participation in a DOE workshop on the 

Next Generation of Ecosystem Scale Experiments in 

the Tropics, which resulted in significant contribution 

to the temperature chapter in the resulting report; 

(2) a highly competitive USGS Powell Center Award 

V. Inventory and Monitoring 

1. Characterization of lichen communities 

along an elevational gradient in Puerto Rico 

Lichens are important components of biodiversity 

worldwide. They remain poorly characterized in the 

tropics, even though they perform important ecological 

functions. Their diversity reaches a maximum in 

tropical forests, and they are truly eye-catching 

organisms! We have been studying lichen communities 

in a series of plots representing different terrestrial 

ecosystems along an elevational gradient in order to 

increase our knowledge about these organisms and 

their ecological role in Puerto Rican forests. Our results 

are already starting to reveal important ecological 

patterns for lichens, particularly in the four main 

upper elevation ecosystems present at the Luquillo 

Experimental Forest: tabonuco (Cyrilla racemiflora), 

sierra palm (Prestoea montana), palo colorado (Dacryodes 

to improve representation of tropical forests and 

their response to warming in earth system models; 

(3) significant investment by the Forest Service in 

infrastructure for the proposed experiment; and (4) 

informal agreement with UPR for use of the Jardín 

Botánico for the prototype of the full-scale warming 

experiment. Working with Dr. Bruce Kimball 

(Greenleaf Group) we have made significant advances 

in full-scale prototype design. Finally, this work has 

resulted in three publications in highly prestigious 

journals: Biological Reviews, New Phytologist, and 

Theoretical and Applied Climatology. 

Collaborating Institutions: Michigan Technological 

University; U.S. Geological Survey; and Fundación 

Puertorriqueña de Conservación 

Institute Contacts: Tana E. Wood and Ariel E. Lugo, 

wood.tana@gmail.com and alugo@fs.fed.us 

excelsa), and elfin woodland. We have found that 

corticolous (bark-inhabiting) lichens are more diverse 

in tabonuco and palo colorado forests (Fig. 13). 

Palm forests have the lowest number of species but 

harbor the highest number of foliose cyanobacterial 

lichens. Squamulose and fruticose growth forms, 

such as species within the genera Cladonia and Cladia, 

are occasionally found in elfin forests, which are in 

turn richer in species than palm forests. Additional 

ecological information of lichens in these and other 

ecosystems will be included in the upcoming Institute 

report, “Lichens in Puerto Rico: An Ecosystem 

Approach,” and the lichen monitoring manual, 

“Lichens As Indicators of Forest Health in Puerto 

Rico.” 

Institute Contacts: Joel A. Mercado-Díaz, joelmercado@ 

fs.fed.us and William A. Gould, wgould@fs.fed.us 

Research and Development

Figure 13. Number of lichen species inhabiting the bark of trees 

present in different ecosystems in El Yunque National 

Forest, Puerto Rico. 

J. Mercado 

Thalli of fruticose lichen species Cladia aggregata 

growing in an Elfin forest in El YunqueNational 

Forest, Puerto Rico 

25
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

2. U.S. Virgin Islands Gap highlights 

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Gap Analysis Project 

has mapped the predicted habitat distribution of 154 

vertebrate species and assessed their conservation 

status (Fig. 14). This project is part of the National 

Gap Analysis Program, whose mission is to keep 

common species common. Our results are based on a 

remarkable occurrence records gathering endeavor— 

gathering more than 30,000 records from many 

sources, including: expert collaborators input and 

review, the development 

of a new landcover for the 

USVI, the assessment of the 

islands’ protected areas, and 

integration and analyses with 

other geospatial datasets. 

We indicate how much 

of each species’ habitat is 

under protection within the 

currently protected lands 

(Fig. 15). We identified 

69 protected areas, which 

include more than 13 percent 

of the USVI territory. The 

largest protected area is 

the Virgin Islands National 

Park located on St. John. 

As part of the final product 

the USVI Gap Analysis 

Project provides a final 

report, more than 300 

maps in various formats, 

a database of the species’ 

natural history and habitat 

associations, along with 

GIS datasets and ancillary 

data that resulted from our 

analyses. These products 

will represent valuable tools 

not only for land managers, 

conservationists, and 

environmentalists, but also 

for educators and wildlife 

enthusiasts. The Institute 

and the USVI Gap Analysis 

Project owe a great deal 

to the collaboration and 

support of the USVI local 

and Federal government 

agencies, including the U.S. Virgin Islands Division of 

Fish and Wildlife, the University of the Virgin Islands, 

non-government organizations such as the St. Croix 

Environmental Association, non-affiliated individuals, 

and the private sector GIS community. 

Collaborating Institutions: University of the Virgin 

Islands; and St. Croix Environmental Association 

Institute Contacts: Mariano Solorzano and William A. 

Gould, mcsolorzano@fs.fed.us and wgould@fs.fed.us 

Research and Development

Figure 14. Predicted habitat map for the Puerto Rican racer (Alsophis portoricensis). 

26
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Figure 15. Percent of species habitat island coverage versus percent of species habitat that is under protection. This 

graph represents a subset of the findings. 

3. New study leads the way to detailed 

mapping of tropical rain forest types 

A new study shows that widely available satellite 

imagery can be used to map tropical rain forests 

with much more detail than was previously thought 

possible. Although satellite imagery is commonly used 

to map tropical forests over large areas, only a few 

forest types are usually identified. This study, however, 

showed that if many dates of imagery are available, as 

in newly available satellite image archives, then clues 

to distinguishing among forest patches containing 

different groups of tree species can be found. 

Tropical countries need to produce detailed forest 

maps for REDD+, which is a mechanism that gives 

countries financial incentives for reducing carbon 

emissions from deforestation and degradation and for 

managing forests to sustain biodiversity and enhance 

carbon stocks. Detailed maps of forest types, including 

Some tropical tree communities are readily recognizable by canopy structure in high resolution imagery. 

Research and Development

27
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

maps that distinguish among groups of tree species, 

are essential, but until now scientists have assumed 

that tropical forest tree communities are too similar to 

each other in most satellite imagery to be mapped. 

Working in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the 

study authors searched through the recently opened 

archives of Landsat satellite imagery (http://www. 

sciencemag.org/content/320/5879/1011.1.full) and 

through the very-high-resolution satellite images 

viewable with Google EarthTM. They discovered that 

the spatial distributions of many tree communities 

thought to be indistinguishable in satellite imagery can 

in fact be revealed, but only in imagery from unique 

times, such as that collected during periods of severe 

drought, or when a particular tree species is flowering. 

Other forest types were distinct in very-high-resolution 

imagery because of unique canopy structure. These 

are the first maps for an entire tropical country that 

show the distributions of communities of tropical 

forest tree species. The study also produced a new set 

of topographic maps for the country at two scales that 

depict reserve areas, town, roads, rivers, and other 

landscape features in addition to forest type. 

Collaborating Institutions: Colorado State University; 

and the Forestry Division of the Republic of Trinidad 

and Tobago 

Institute Contact: Eileen H. Helmer, ehelmer@fs.fed.us 

Research and Development

Tropical tree communities may be recognizable by flowering if high resolution imagery is available from the right season. 

28
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Cooperative Research Agreements 

Ecological Effects of Nutrient Enrichment on a Coastal Fringe Mangrove 

System in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico 

Over the past year, we have successfully developed 

and initiated a long-term nutrient enrichment 

experiment within fringe mangroves at Jobos Bay, PR. 

While the overall research objectives and methods 

are consistent with the proposed study, some design 

changes were determined to be necessary as we 

gained a better understanding of the research site 

characteristics and logistics. The most significant 

change is the nutrient application method and 

experimental plot design, which is described below. 

The timing of the nutrient enrichment was delayed 

approximately 4 months to allow for more baseline 

data collection and site characterization. 

In brief, the past year of research was highlighted by: 

•	1Cooperation with other State agencies and 

academic and non-profit organizations;
1

•	1Selection of the research site and experimental 

plot-set-up; 

•	1Baseline measurements and site characterization 

in all plots; 

•	1Selection and training of student research 

assistants and boat operators;
 

•	1Research method development for field and 

laboratory use; and 

•	1Acquiring appropriate nutrients and 

modification of application dosage and 

procedure. 

It was also decided that the experimental plots for this 

study work would be moved off the keys along the 

nearby coastline to avoid potential cross-fertilization 

and other issues. This location was evaluated by 

Drs. Ariel Lugo and Ernesto Medina before the 

experimental plots were established. 

We have successfully established partnerships with 

other organizations through funding opportunities 

or assistance. These partnerships include Puerto 

Rico and Rhode Island Sea Grants, the University of 

Puerto Rico, the Nature Conservancy, and the Coastal 

Institute at the University of Rhode Island (URI). 

This project has provided a platform for 

undergraduate’s student involvement. Jessica Foley, 

a recent URI graduate, accompanied Brita J. Jessen 

to the field for 2 weeks, followed by sediment 

and leaf sample processing at Graduate School of 

Oceanography and the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) throughout summer. Ryann Rossi, 

an undergraduate at URI, was engaged through the 

Coastal Fellows program to work at the Jobos Bay field 

site to examine shredder behavior and decomposition 

rates of mangrove litter in connection with this project. 

The re-design of the nutrient enrichment procedure 

depends on routine data collection and nutrient input. 

Two undergraduate students from the University of 

Puerto Rico at Humacao have been hired and trained 

to accomplish these tasks. Ishamari Colon and Sandra 

Schleier collect litter samples, which they process at 

the Institute, and apply nutrients. Each student has 

expressed interest in conducting independent research 

projects related to this research, and they have been 

communicating with Dr. Jessen on their research 

questions and design. 

In August, Dr. Jessen gave a presentation of the 

proposed work to staff at the Jobos Bay National 

Estuarine Research Reserve, followed by a discussion 

with the staff about the ways this research interacts 

with the goals of the reserve. In October, she designed 

a poster of research objectives that was displayed 

at the annual National Estuarine Research Reserve 

(NERR) conference on Ponte Verda, FL. This posted 

was presented by Angel Dieppa, the research 

coordinator for the Jobos Bay NERR. 

Program Contact: Brita J. Jessen, bjessen@gso.uri.edu 

Institute Contacts: Ariel E. Lugo and Grizelle 

González, alugo@fs.fed.us and ggonzalez@fs.fed.us 

Research and Development

Sustainable Management of Big-Leaf Mahogany in the Brazilian Amazon
 

The Mahogany Project seeks to understand what 

makes big-leaf mahogany “tick” in natural forests 

across southern Brazilian Amazonia by monitoring 

vital rates for all stages of its life cycle, from seeds to 

senescent adults, across temporal and spatial scales 

relevant to each life phase. With steady support 

from the Institute since 1995, the Mahogany Project 

has addressed a long list of basic and applied 

research questions, as demonstrated by more than 30 

mahogany-related scientific articles and book chapters 

published to date. Several manuscripts and technical 

papers were advanced during 2012; three papers are 

currently in review or in press at scientific journals, 

while at least three more will be submitted before the 

end of 2013. As importantly, project researchers have 

contributed directly to Brazilian national forest policy 

through participation in working groups and seminars 

revising and improving industry harvest practices. 

Based on 18 years (1995–2012) of annual censuses of 

more than 600 trees and many thousands of seedlings 

29
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

and saplings scattered across nearly 5,000 hectares 

of forest at five long-term research sites, project 

researchers have developed demographic models 

that simulate both short- and long-term population 

responses to forest management practices such as 

minimum diameter felling limits, commercial tree 

retention rates, and vine cutting. One of these, the BigLeaf Mahogany Growth and Yield Model, is a highly 

interactive and user-friendly computer application 

that can be operated online (http://www.swietking. 

org/model-applet.html) or downloaded onto office or 

home computers with complete instructions for use. In 

2012, the Growth and Yield Model user interface and 

user manual were translated into Spanish to make the 

model more widely available to forest managers and 

regulators in Central and South America. In 2013, we 

will offer training workshops on use of the model and 

how to modify it to suit local populations and growing 

conditions. 

Finally, the project website, Big-Leaf Mahogany in 

Brazil and South America (http://www.swietking.org/), 

was expanded and improved in 2012, with additional 

topics, text, and interactive features planned for 2013. 

Program Contact: James Grogan, jgrogan@crocker.com 

Institute Contact: Grizelle González, ggonzalez@fs.fed.us 

Research and Development 

30
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

State and Private Forestry
 Program Manager: Constance Carpenter, conniecarpenter@fs.fed.us 

The Institute has a long tradition of information exchange with government agencies, universities, 

and local communities in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Through the State and 

Private Forestry Program (S&PF), the Institute provides professional, technical, and financial 

assistance to local communities and private landowners in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (St. 

Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John). Through focused technical and financial assistance and conservation 

education, Federal resources are leveraged to protect and support sustainable management of the 

islands’ forests and ecosystems to produce goods and services that are important to many communities. 

This assistance is focused on cooperative forestry, cooperative fire protection, forest health, urban 

and community forestry, and landowner and legacy assistance programs. Key issues addressed by this 

program include: rapid urbanization and residential development and its sprawl into natural areas, 

ecological restoration of natural and built-up areas, water quality (including storm water runoff and 

restoration of natural areas), soil protection and watershed management, sustainable urban forestry 

programs at the local level, damage of reefs and over-fishing of key species, and sustainable tourism 

development in small communities. 

Rivera M.

Staff members in the State and Private Forestry program. 

State and Private Forestry

31
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

The Urban and Community Forestry Program 

The Urban and Community Forestry Program (UCF) 

promotes the conservation of our urban forests. This 

program engages more local citizens in Puerto Rico 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands than any other Institute 

program by supporting educational initiatives that help 

the public understand the benefits they derive from our 

urban forests, and by providing technical assistance 

with the development of urban forest management 

plans and tree planting to create new urban forests. 

Each year the program provides technical and financial 

assistance to communities, non-profit organizations, 

educational institutions, and State governments. This 

year the Institute hired Kelcie Troutman, an intern 

from the University of Virgin Islands St. Thomas, to 

help in the preplanning of an Urban and Community 

Forestry Conference on St. Thomas. Troutman worked 

with Marilyn Chakroff, Virgin Islands Department of 

Agriculture forester, and the Virgin Islands Urban and 

Community Forestry Council. 

The program is a Federal, State, and local partnership 

established in law. The Puerto Rico Department of 

Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) Forest 

Service Bureau and the Virgin Islands Department of 

Agriculture are State-level partners that administer 

the program in their respective jurisdictions and work 

closely with local urban and community forestry 

councils to plan education and outreach initiatives that 

lead to the conservation of green spaces that preserve 

the benefits of urban forests. By implementing the 

UCF program we promote beautiful urban forests 

and a healthy environment for urban residents. The 

councils assist in the promotion and selection of local 

community and urban forestry projects to be funded 

through a portion of the State’s program funds. During 

FY 2012, nine community projects were selected in 

Puerto Rico and a total of $161,335 were distributed, 

with the recipient community groups providing inkind services equivalent to $196,221. In the U.S. Virgin 

Islands, four projects received funding representing the 

categories of tree planting demonstration, inventory 

and assessment, and tree maintenance. A total of 

$60,767 was distributed, with the community groups 

providing in-kind services equivalent to $78,696. 

The U.S. Virgin Islands Urban and Community 

Forestry Council recently joined the Puerto Rico 

Council in gaining certification of its non-profit status. 

This allows the organizations to seek funding of highquality projects from a wider variety of agencies and 

private and public philanthropic organizations in 

addition to the U.S. Forest Service. 

Tables 1, 2, and 3 provide details of UCF projects in 

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for FY 2012. 

State and Private Forestry 

M. Figueroa 

Amalia Marín School students planting native trees in the San Juan Ecological Corridor 

32
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Table 1. Urban and community forestry statistics for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for FY 2012. 

Performance Measures Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands 

Total population 3,725,789 106,405 

People living in communities participating in 

educational, technical, or financial assistance 

1,227,308 31,133 

Percentage of population living in communities 

participating in educational, technical, or financial 

assistance 

33 29 

Number of people living in communities developing 

urban and community forestry programs and 

activities 

523,013 31,133 

Percentage of population living in communities 

developing urban and community forestry programs 

and activities 

18 29 

Number of persons living on communities managing 

urban and community forestry programs and 

activities 

704,295 -­

Percentage of population living in communities 

managing urban and community forestry programs 

and activities 

25 -­

Number of communities with active urban and 

community forestry management plans 

225 -­

Number of communities with urban and community 

forestry local/advisory organizations 

26 9 

Hours of volunteer service 420,934 1,433 

Table 2. List of local Urban and Community Forestry Program projects funded in Puerto Rico in 

FY 2012. 

Community Group Project 

Escuela Ecológica Niños Uniendo al Mundo Jardín del Cielo Demonstration Project 

Municipio Autónomo de Caguas Preparación de Protocolo Manejo de Arboles 

Municipio de Caguas (Urban Forest Management 

Plan) 

Programa de Educación Comunal de Entrega y 

Servicio Inc. (PECES) 

Iniciativa Eco-turística de Humacao (Ecotourism) 

Municipio Autónomo de Trujillo Alto Proyecto de Composta Comunitaria (Composting 

Demonstration Project) 

Sistema TV. Canal Universitario Ana G. Méndez Forestación Urbana y sus Beneficios para las 

Comunidades Programas de Televisión (Urban 

Forestry Television Programs) 

Escuela Especializada en Agroecología Laura 

Mercado, San Germán 

La Composta y sus Beneficios en la Siembra 

(Composting Demonstration Project) 

Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce Protocolo para Determinar la Calidad de la 

Composta y Desarrollo de Guías para su 

Mercadeo (Composting Demonstration Project) 

Universidad Interamericana–Metro Más Bosque para Nuestra Ciudad (Urban and 

Community Forestry Demonstration Project) 

Comité Caborrojeño Pro Salud y Ambiente, Inc. Establecimiento de proyectos demostrativos de 

reforestación comunitaria (Urban and Community 

Forestry Demonstration Project) 

State and Private Forestry

33
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Table 3. List of local Urban and Community Forestry Program projects funded in the U.S. Virgin 

Islands in FY 2012. 

Community Group Project 

St. Croix Environmental Association Tree Planting Demonstration Project 

St. John Community Foundation, Inc. Urban Forestry Inventory and Assessment 

St. Paul's Episcopal Church Urban Trees Management 

St. Thomas Historical Trust, Inc. Tree Planting Demonstration Project 

State and Private Forestry

Green Infrastructure and Our Parks 

The Center for Sustainable Development Studies 

(CSDS) of the Metropolitan University, School of 

Environmental Studies, prepared a second edition 

of the popular publication Green Infrastructure and 

Our Parks. The technical information in the book was 

updated and a chapter was added with examples and 

illustrations on how to design a community green 

infrastructure plan. The book, co-sponsored by the 

Puerto Rico Architect Foundation, the Puerto Rico 

National Parks Company, and the Institute, made it 

possible to produce a full color edition. 

All Puerto Rican mayors, senators, and House 

representatives received copies to use as a resource that 

outlines the importance and benefits of urban green 

areas and the relevance of urban green space projects 

to urban planning and development efforts. CSDS 

also distributed the publication to employees of the 

Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, 

the Puerto Rico Planning Board, the Puerto Rico 

National Parks Company, and all the libraries of the 

Puerto Rico Department of Education. 

A limited number of books are for sale to benefit the 

Huerto, Bosque y Vivero Comunitario Capetillo, a 

community initiative led by the Centro de Acción 

Urbana, Comunitaria y Empresarial (CAUCE), 

an organization of the University of Puerto Rico’s 

Chancellor’s Office. The Capetillo project is restoring 

Caguas Arbor Day Celebration 

During the Caguas Arbor Day Celebration April 27, 

2012, community leaders planted a native tree for each 

of the 11 communities that make up the Autonomous 

Municipality of Caguas. The Puerto Rico Interamerican 

University and the municipality hosted the event at 

the William Miranda Marín Botanical and Cultural 

Garden. In related activities, agronomists from the 

Caguas Urban Forestry and Beatification Department 

distributed 1,000 trees and provided advice on tree 

planting and tree care. During that day the Caguas 

Mayor Hon. William Miranda Torres, recognized 

Omarf Ortega, director of the Caguas Urban Forestry 

and Beautification, for his leadership and success 

directing the department. Also, Myraida Anderson, 

graduate student of the Interamerican University 

Metro Campus, received an award for her initiative, 

forests on a 1.45-acre parcel that was vacated owing 

to flooding and other safety issues. The neighbors 

in Capetillo work in coordination with CAUCE 

planting trees, improving the forest, and managing 

a nursery. Today a forest has regenerated and the 

nursery produces vegetables and trees that are sold 

to visitors to help support the project and provide 

services in the community. The University of Puerto 

Rico is engaged by bringing students and volunteers 

to tutor neighborhood children. For more information 

on this initiative please visit their Web site at: http:// 

huertocapetillo.wordpress.com/. 

Institute Contact: Magaly Figueroa, mafigueroa@fs.fed.us 

Arbol Familiar (Family Tree), which promotes respect 

for nature, society, and family values. More than 1.2 

million trees were planted over a 2-year period. The 

President of the Puerto Rico Interamerican University, 

Manuel J. Fernós, a strong supporter of that initiative, 

was recognized as well. For more information visit the 

Arbol Familiar Web site at http://www.arbolfamiliar. 

org/. 

Caguas is the only municipality in Puerto Rico that has 

been recognized as a Tree City USA. It has had that 

honor since 2009. The program, managed by the Arbor 

Day Foundation, recognizes those towns and cities 

that have organized tree care programs contributing to 

healthier and safer urban forests. 

Institute Contact: Magaly Figueroa, mafigueroa@fs.fed.us 

34
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

M. Figueroa 

Caguas Tree City USA Arbor Day Celebration Recognition: 

Omarf Ortega, Director of Caguas Urban Forestry and 

Beautification Department; Myraida Anderson, Arbol 

Familiar Project, Interamerican University Metro Campus; 

Hon, William Miranda Torres, Mayor of Autonomous 

Municipality of Caguas; and Dr. Rafaél Cabrera, 

Interamerican University Vice President of Academic Affairs 

in representation of Manuel L. Fernoz, President of the 

Interamerican University. 

St. Croix Historic Trees 

The U.S. Virgin Islands consists of the major islands of 

St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John, and several smaller 

islands and cays. In addition to its majestic landscapes, 

these islands are home to many species of flora and 

fauna that are linked to the history and culture of the 

Chakroff M.

Local resident Veronica Gordon tells students 

about the many uses of the Baobab tree and the

islands but often were brought from afar. 

The Virgin Islands Urban and Community Forestry 

Program has sponsored several projects in St. Croix 

legend of the voyage of a scared young boy that 

held the Baobab seed in his mouth to remind him 

of home as he traveled in the hold of a slave ship 

that highlight the importance of this linkage to the 

communities. Good Hope School students prepared 

a “Talking Tree Tour” to entice people to explore 

Fredriksted and learn local tree lore and a bit of history. 

For example, each knot in the trunk of the tamarind 

tree (Tamarindus indica) is thought to represent the 

spirit of a lost one buried nearby. The sound from a 

wind breaker tree (Casuarina equisetifolia) is said to cure 

insomnia. World War II parachutes were made from 

silk of the jumbie tree (Ceiba pentandra). 

There is a large variety of tree species on the island 

and many have multiple common names related 

to historical subsistence and medicinal uses. Some 

individual trees also have historical significance. 

The UCF Council worked with the St. Croix Historic 

Preservation Committee to protect a 250-year old 

baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) that recalls the fate of 

some of the women who were burned alive for joining 

“Queen” Mary Thomas in the 1878 Fireburn labor 

revolt on St. Croix. The council worked with the State 

Historic Preservation Office to preserve a kapok tree 

(Ceiba pentandra) and the historical wall that it was 

undermining over centuries of growth in Fredriksted. 

Institute Contact: Magaly Figueroa, mafigueroa@fs.fed.us 

from West Africa. 

M. Chakroff 

State and Private Forestry

Tree roots and branches were pruned to the 

specifications of a Certified Arborist. The new wall 

has a metal fence above it to protect the tree from 

vandalism. The community in a installed a brass 

plaque that contains information about the tree and 

its history. This project is one of several historic tree 

preservation projects on the Island. 

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Forest Legacy Program 

The Forest Legacy Program (FLP) is a partnership 

between States and the U.S. Forest Service to identify 

and help conserve environmentally important forest 

areas that are threatened by conversion to non-forest 

uses. To date 2,857 acres (1156ha 1868.9m2) have 

been entered into the program in Puerto Rico and 98 

(39ha 6591.9m2) acres in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Land 

can be purchased outright under the program or a 

landowner can enter into a conservation easement 

that identifies attributes and functions of the land that 

are to be protected from development and other uses. 

The land is acquired only from willing sellers within 

high priorities areas called Forest Legacy Areas, which 

are identified following an assessment of long-term 

conservation needs. Funding is awarded through 

a national competitive process and the State must 

provide a match of 25 percent of the cost of any project 

submitted. The match may come from cash, State land 

purchase, or donations of land or land rights to the 

State. 

Virgin Islands Acquires First Forest Legacy Properties 

The Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture acquired Institute Contact: Constance Carpenter, 

two tracts of land totaling 76 (30ha 7561.1m2) acres conniecarpenter@fs.fed.us 

in St. Croix in a project called Annaly Bay/Hermitage 

Valley. The purchases were matched with a donation 

of approximately 22 acres (8ha 9030.8m2) of land 

in St. John. The donation, secured by The Nature 

Conservancy, will be held in perpetuity by the Virgin 

Islands Trust for Public Land. The Forest Legacy 

Program in the U.S. Virgin Islands will contribute 

to the development of a territorial park system 

where none exists today. The project is designed to 

preserve outstanding scenic, cultural, and ecological 

values important to the terrestrial and marine life, 

M. Figueroa 

Landscape view from Estate Spring Garden legacy tract.

State and Private Forestry

and to secure public land for hiking. In St. Croix the 

vision of the territorial park includes conservation of 

Maroon Ridge in order to memorialize the brave souls 

who escaped slavery during the plantation era. The 

Annaly Bay/Hermitage Valley Project is scheduled for 

completion in 2014. 

The Cooperative Fire Program 

The Cooperative Fire Program provides assistance 

to the Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Fire 

Departments as they build capacity in fire prevention, 

preparedness, and suppression in rural areas and 

in the wildland-urban interface. Firefighters in the 

islands are responsible for wildland and structural fire 

suppression and various other emergency response 

activities. Each island within these jurisdictions 

must be fairly self-sufficient in terms of equipment 

and manpower, because sharing of resources among 

islands is expensive and time consuming. This year 

M. Figueroa 

the program was able to assist in providing new brush The firefighting rapper Angel Crespo (el Bombero 

Rapero) teams up with Smokey the Bear and a crew of trucks in the Puerto Rico municipalities of Castañer wildland firefighters (bomberos forestales) to spread the and Vieques, and a wildland-urban interface truck fire prevention message. in the U.S. Virgin Islands that will be deployed to 

the Cotton Valley Fire Station. In a new initiative, the regularly to coordinate wildfire training, suppression, 

Puerto Rico Fire Department graduated 105 municipal dispatch, and prevention activities; this year the Puerto 

employees who can now safely assist with suppression Rico Fire Department, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and 

of wildland fires. Interagency cooperation is highly Wildlife Service, and National Park Service signed an 

beneficial. A multi-agency coordination group meets agreement for mutual fire aid. 

36
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

C. Carpenter 

Another benefit to the Department is that dispatchers 

can identify personnel who are qualified for 

deployment outside Puerto Rico. By linking to 

the National Interagency Resource Ordering and 

Status System (ROSS), they can connect with nearly 

400 interagency dispatch and coordination offices 

throughout the United States. This helps the Nation 

respond to national emergencies but also allows the 

Puerto Rico Fire Department to seek opportunities for 

its own personnel to meet experience requirements 

that are part of the National Interagency Incident 

Management System’s Wildland Fire Qualification 

State and Private Forestry

Figueroa J.

Virgin Islands Fire Fighters hosted the Cooperative Fire 

Review Team in St. Croix. 

Incident Qualifications System 

(IQS) 

The Puerto Rico Fire Department recently acquired 

Incident Qualification System (IQS) software. This 

is a computer program that tracks the training, fire 

line experiences, safety record, and fitness levels of 

individuals against national standards, which are 

then used to determine the jobs and responsibilities 

a firefighter can safely and competently execute 

during a wildfire incident. In February 2012, Keith 

Smith of the National Association of State Foresters 

visited Puerto Rico and with assistance from Bruce 

Drapeau helped to install the program, demonstrate 

data entry protocols, and provide technical 

assistance as training officers entered existing 

records for their personnel. 

The Department now has the ability to easily 

manage its wildland fire resources and to analyze 

and schedule training based upon their internal 

needs. The program has records of all responders, 

and the roles in which they are qualified. Managers 

can plan out the number of responders they would 

want qualified at certain positions, and IQS will list 

the training courses required to meet those goals. 

From this output, managers have the information 

they need to prepare, logistically and financially, 

for their upcoming training needs. For example, 

a crew consisting of three squads of five to six 

firefighters each will encompass training in basic 

firefighting and fire behavior; training in leadership 

and administrative processes necessary for squad 

bosses and crew bosses; and training in special 

skills needed to operate, pumps, trucks, saws, etc. 

A benefit of IQS is that not only is it suitable for 

wildland fire preparedness, it but can also be used to 

manage qualifications for all risk incidents including 

hurricanes, urban search-and-rescue operations, and 

even the qualifications for certified dog handlers. 

Prior to adopting IQS, Puerto Rico Fire Department 

wildland qualifications were managed by the fire 

System Guide. 

Institute Contact: Bruce Drapeau, bdrapeau@fs.fed.us
1

A fire fighter must take courses in basic fire behavior, learn 

the incident command system, and participate in fire line

dispatcher at the El Yunque National Forest. construction as a member of a team. 

37
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Dry Hydrant Demonstration Project 

El Atlantico Resource Conservation and Development 

Council (RC&D), Inc., received a grant through the 

U.S. Forest Service State and the Private Forestry 

Cooperative Fire Assistance Program to demonstrate 

and promote the use of dry hydrants in rural areas. 

Dry hydrants are non-pressurized pipe fixtures placed 

next to natural or artificial water bodies; fire trucks 

equipped with pumps then use the pipes to draw water 

into the tank, greatly increasing the efficiency of fire 

stations in suppressing fire emergencies in rural or 

remote areas. The first demonstration area is located 

on the grounds of Escuela Vocacional Agrícola Soller, 

Agro. Hector M. Cordero Rivera, Carretera 453, Camuy, 

Puerto Rico. On February 3, 2012, members of El 

Atlantico RC&D invited students from the agriculture 

machinery course, teachers and administrators from 

the school, the Department of Education, the Natural 

Resource Conservation Service, and the U.S. Forest 

Service to a field demonstration of the hydrant by El 

Cibao and Bayaney Fire Stations. 

The area surrounding the demonstration site is typical 

of those that would benefit from a dry hydrant: it is 

an area of mostly hilly fields and farms with limited 

public water utilities and no natural lakes or readily 

accessible streams. Narrow winding roads can slow 

the time to initial attack of reported fires, and the lack 

of fire hydrants and natural water bodies means empty 

tank trucks must travel a long distance to refill amidst 

serious fire incidents. This dry hydrant adjoins with 

the towns of Camuy, Lares, and San Sebastián, and will 

serve the communities of Pileta, Lares, Cibao, Camuy, 

Quebradas, Aibonito, Hatillo; and Cibao, San Sebastián. 

Institute Contact: Constance Carpenter, 

conniecarpenter@fs.fed.us 

State and Private Forestry 

Students at the school were involved in many aspects of the 

project, including helping survey and construct the road to the dry 

hydrant site, installation of the pipe, and even landscaping of road 

banks after the project ended. 

Sgt. José Jesús González, Bayaney Fire Station, Hatillo, 

Puerto Rico, explains the value of this dry hydrant to their 

operations. 

A. Mojica 

A. Mojica 

38
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 

The islands in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands 

are subject to hurricanes, tropical storms, and wildfires. 

Fallen trees and broken branches along roadways can 

down power lines, cause flooding in storm sewers and 

streams, and pose a variety of physical safety hazards. 

The State and Private Forestry unit is administering 

three projects under the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act of 2009 to mitigate these impacts. 

The funding is authorized through the Cooperative 

Forestry Assistance Act. One project in St. Croix 

closed in March 2012 and two projects in Puerto Rico 

remained open. 

St. Croix Roadside Tree Inventory and Management Strategies
 

The St. Croix Hurricane and Hazardous Fuel 

Mitigation Project was completed following the 

development of a tree management plan and 

installation of a roadside tree demonstration planting. 

This project provided three full-time jobs and training 

for around 80 people. Training included various 

aspects of tree care, pruning, and removal; and safety 

training. On-the-job training was provided in GPS, 

and tree identification training was provided for tree 

inventory crews. 

A report, St. Croix Roadside Tree Inventory and 

Management Strategies (RTIMS), presents an analysis 

of the results of a GIS-based comprehensive roadside 

right-of-way inventory and tree health and hazard tree 

assessments developed for this project. It also includes 

a review of existing roadside tree management 

practices and the development of tree management 

strategies that not only would improve the island’s 

response to tree failures during catastrophic events, 

but also would prevent them through proactive 

management. The tree planting demonstration sites 

can be viewed on roadways near Southgate Coastal 

Reserve, Henry Rohlsen Airport, and Estate Bethlehem. 

The assessments and report were produced by 

Geographic Consulting, LLC, for the Virgin Islands 

Resource Conservation and Development Council, 

which received the Recovery Act grant. St. Croix is 

approximately 83 square miles (214.97km2), with 

more than 1,300 miles of paved and unpaved roads. 

GPS-armed inventory crews collected inventory data 

on almost 10,000 trees covering 11 percent of the 

road miles on the entire island. That translates to the 

equivalent of 870 acres of right-of-way along both sides 

of 143.5 miles of the major roadways in St. Croix. Trees 

were included in the inventory if they were within 25 

feet of the road. Roughly 81 percent of the trees were 

within the public right-of-way; the remainder occurred 

on private land, which in some cases made those 

trees inaccessible for the forest health and hazard tree 

assessments that followed. 

St. Croix has a rich diversity of trees; 108 species were 

identified in the course of the survey, but the major 

roads were overwhelmingly dominated by three 

species: genip (Melicoccus bijugatus), West Indian 

mahogany (Swietenia mahogany), and tibit or motherin-law’s tongue (Albizia lebbeck). The largest and oldest 

trees are generally planted mahogany, while the 

smaller trees sprang from voluntary seedings of genip. 

Twenty-seven percent of public trees were in direct 

conflict with utility lines or pavement and 93 percent 

of trees had crown damage. Unfortunately, all major 

St. Croix roadways have trees located too close to the 

road, and in many cases the wrong species are growing 

under or adjacent to power lines and utilities. Tree 

limbs were considered a hazard if they could fall on 

roads, power lines, buildings, parking areas, sidewalks, 

transformers, utility lines, and utility poles. 

Recommendations to mitigate the risks of damage 

from trees following hurricanes or fire include the 

following: (1) immediately begin removing the 200 

most hazardous trees; (2) establish a roadside tree 

planting program to ensure a diversity of trees with 

characteristics that pose no physical risk to the public, 

eliminate utility conflicts, cost less to maintain, and 

increase the islands’ scenic qualities; (3) conduct 

proactive, coordinated, and regular tree maintenance 

that ensures storm preparedness; and (4) establish a 

legally binding document that assigns responsibilities 

to appropriate agencies, permits certain actions 

such as tree removal and utility pruning of public 

and private trees, and prescribes best management 

practices for comprehensive management. The 

project has identified the locations of hazard trees 

and made recommendations for mitigating the 

problems and has identified suitable planting locations 

(Fig. 16). The report can be downloaded at www. 

geographicconsulting.com .
 

Institute Contact: Constance Carpenter, 

conniecarpenter@fs.fed.us 

State and Private Forestry

39
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report Geographic Consulting, LLC 

State and Private Forestry 

Seventy seven people participated in 

workshops on topics such as maintaining tree 

health, pruning and roadside safety. 

Geographic Consulting, LLC 

M. Chakroff 

Figure 16. The St. Croix Roadside tree planting assessment identified major roadways that would benefit from planting trees 

of suitable species. 

A comprehensive street tree 

management program would solve 

utility conflicts without leaving 

unsightly injured trees. 

40
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Puerto Rico Hurricane and Hazardous Fuels Mitigation Project Update 

The State and Private Forestry unit is administering people from hurricanes and fire. The cooperative has 

a grant of $1,167,000 to the Puerto Rico Department been successful in contracting additional projects 

of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) for in the private sector, and this fiscal year the Ponce 

the implementation of the Puerto Rico Hurricane brigade initiated a new round of courses to increase 

and Hazardous Fuel Mitigation Project. The project skills and train new employees. Skill development 

involves training, roadside tree inventory, tree covers safety topics such as roadside safety, chainsaw 

management, planning, and plan implementation. The operation, and tree pruning, and technical topics such 

management plan addresses existing risks, retention as tree identification and inventory, and business 

of structurally sound trees, and species selection to management. 

meet site objectives. 

Implementation Table 4. Roads where hazard trees were addressed by Vias Lindas crews, 2012.
 

activities include 

pruning to improve 

tree health and 

structural conditions, 

removal of hazard 

trees, and tree planting. 

The DTOP has 

addressed hazard 

trees on nearly on 

323.7 kilometers of 

the roadways targeted 

in the Hurricane and 

Hazardous Fuels 

Mitigation Project 

(Table 4). As part of 

the project, three-tofive-member crews 

from Cooperativa Vias 

Lindas worked on 

roadside tree inventory 

and management. 

The Cooperative was 

an entrepreneurial 

endeavor by former 

DTOP employees 

following widespread 

government 

downsizing. The crews 

work out of the San 

Juan, Mayagüez, and 

Ponce DTOP regional 

offices. 

American Recovery 

and Reinvestment 

Act funds were 

used to provide 

comprehensive training 

to the members of 

the Cooperativa 

Vías Lindas and the 

DTOP to reduce the 

risks to roads and 

Vias Lindas Crew Municipality Road Number Kilometers 

Ponce Guayama PR-15 20.0 

Guayama PR-53 8.0 

Ponce-Guayama PR-2 35.4 

Ponce PR-511 1.0 

Ponce PR-132 5.0 

Patillas PR-184 18.0 

Patillas PR-181 16.0 

Mayagüez Aguadilla PR-111 3.0 

Aguadilla PR-462 4.6 

Hatillo PR-119 4.0 

Isabela-Añasco PR-2 61.6 

Mayagüez PR-342 5.1 

Rincón PR-429 8.0 

Sabana Grande PR-2 14.0 

San Sebastián PR-125 2.0 

Utuado PR-10 22.0 

San Juan Caguas PR-30 1.0 

Canóvanas PR-185–PR-3 5.0 

Carolina (Piñones) PR-187 3.0 

Cataño PR-165 20.0 

Cayey PR-184 17.0 

Cayey PR-1 11.7 

Luquillo-Fajardo PR-3 4.0 

San Juan Muñoz Rivera Ave. 6.0 

San Juan (Cupey) PR-176 7.0 

San Juan Baldorioty Ave. 5.0 

San Juan Roosevelt Ave. 2.0 

San Juan Barbosa Ave. 4.0 

San Juan Iturregui Ave. 3.0 

San Juan PR-199 2.0 

San Juan PR-35 5.3 

Total kilometers 323.7 

State and Private Forestry

41
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

State and Private Forestry

Cooperativa Vías Lindas 

Pruning this Saman tree in Cayey, Puerto Rico will eliminate the conflict with the utility line 

before there are problems. 

The crews, with the assistance of the DTOP the rule of “the right tree for the right place.” DTOP 

agronomists, determine the structural soundness 

of roadside trees. The management actions are 

incorporated into a plan. In the event that a tree must 

be removed, the project provides for planting trees 

suitable to the different growing conditions following 

Mitigating Fire Hazards in Puerto Rico 

Throughout FY 2012 the Puerto Rico Fire Service 

provided jobs and training for 34 wildland fire fighters. 

The crews continued to work to mitigate fire hazards. 

Communities have benefitted from the rapid initial 

attack of wildfire, thanks to the presence of these 

crews as well as to increased attention to wildland fire 

prevention and reduction of high fuel loads before 

they are ignited. This results in a reduction in the 

amount of land burned and the need for emergency 

funds to suppress fires. Other benefits are the reduced 

impacts to agricultural land and less effort dedicated to 

restoration of natural and protected areas damaged by 

fire. 

Institute Contact: Constance Carpenter, 

conniecarpenter@fs.fed.us 

Firefighter conducts “mop up” operations. After a fire moves 

through an area, sources of sparks that could reignite a fire are 

sought out and extinguished. 

purchased the plant material needed for the mitigation 

phase from several local nursery growers, which 

helped revamp the local economy. 

Institute Contact: Magaly Figueroa, mafigueroa@fs.fed.us Puerto Rico Fire Service Staff 

42
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

The Forest Stewardship Program 

The U.S. Forest Service Forest Stewardship Program 

was established in 1991 to encourage forest landowners 

to actively manage their forests. The Institute partners 

with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and 

Environmental Resources (DNER), Forest Service 

Bureau and the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of 

Agriculture on program implementation. Program 

activities include providing educational activities 

and technical assistance to landowners and the 

development of forest stewardship management plans. 

A. Mojica 

Patillas, Puerto Rico Forest Stewardship participants discuss 

plan implementation on the Graciela Basora/Lucio García 

Moliner property. 

M. Figueroa

State and Private Forestry

Forests in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, protect important 

watersheds. 

Enrique Santiago, a biologist with the DNER Forest 

Service Bureau, was appointed as the Puerto Rico 

Forest Stewardship Program Coordinator in June 

2012. He oversees the program and works with 

field staff located in the DNER regional offices. Each 

office has at least one biologist who works with 

private landowners to develop forest stewardship 

management plans. Marilyn Chakroff continued in her 

sixth year as the coordinator for the U.S. Virgin Islands 

Department of Agriculture. She is solely in charge of 

the forestry programs at the agency. A program review 

of the Puerto Rico Forest Stewardship Program was 

conducted in August 2012. 

Forest Stewardship Plan Development 

Forest stewardship management plans must meet 

national standards set by the program, meet landowner 

objectives, and be approved by the State forester. Once 

the management plan is delivered, the landowner 

becomes eligible for other Federal programs that can 

help pay to implement recommended practices, and 

could be eligible for State tax abatement programs. 

Landowners and foresters need to develop the plans 

together. Landowners set the goals and objectives for 

their land; these may include goals related to water, 

range, aesthetics, recreation, timber, fisheries, wildlife, 

cultural or historic sites, wetlands, and threatened 

Forest Stewardship Program activities are guided by 

State action plans prepared roughly every 5 years. 

The Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands’ State Action 

Plans identified critical resource needs and the areas 

that are targeted for additional education, awareness, 

and program outreach activities during this period. In 

Puerto Rico, 703,967 forested acres occur in “important 

forest resource areas.” The U.S. Virgin Islands 

State Action Plan identified 42,628 forested acres as 

important forest resource areas. In the Virgin Islands 

these areas include forests in riparian and wildlifeurban interface areas, habitat of native and endangered 

species, and important landscapes. In addition to these 

resources needs, Puerto Rico important forest resource 

areas also include uplands that protect drinking water 

reservoirs, biodiversity, and fire-prone landscapes. 

or endangered species. The forest professionals 

help the landowner recognize the opportunities and 

limitations unique to their property. The final product 

will identify the actions needed and a timetable for 

any planned harvests; a plan can also be designed to 

meet the objectives of a variety of programs offered by 

the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Fish and 

Wildlife Service, and other Federal and State initiatives. 

Forest Stewardship Program accomplishments for FY 

2012 are presented in Table 5. 

Institute Contact: Magaly Figueroa, mafigueroa@fs.fed.us
1

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Table 5. Forest Stewardship Program (FSP) accomplishments in Puerto Rico 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands, FY 2012 

Performance Measures Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands 

Non-industrial private forests in important 

forest resource areas (acres) 

703,967 42,628 

New forest stewardship management plans 

(number of plans) (FY 2012) 

6 7 

Acres in new FSP management plans (FY 

2012) 

686 71 

Acres in important forest resource areas (FY 

2012) 

686 63 

Acres covered by FSP management plans 

(cumulative) 

9,333 1,090 

Acres in important forest resource areas 

covered by FSP management plan 

(cumulative) 

7,469 974 

Acres of important forest resource areas 

being managed sustainably (cumulative) 

2,963 974 

New Environmental Quality Incentives 

Program (EQIP) management plans (number 

of plans) (FY 2012) 

11 -­

Acres in EQIP management plans (FY 2012) 165 -­

State and Private Forestry

M. Figueroa 

M. Figueroa 

Hilda Colon of Villalba, Puerto Rico (center) discusses 

her experience implementing her Forest Stewardship 

Plan. 

Hilda Colón property in Villalba, Puerto Rico. Moralón 

(Coccoloba pubescens) plantation. 

44
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Let’s Get SMART 

Modern technology can help in the preparation of 

stewardship management plans. The Forest Service 

has worked with States across the country to develop 

a Stewardship Mapping and Reporting Tool (SMART). 

This is a national Web-based data entry and report 

writing tool designed to support field-going personnel. 

Landowners’ goals for their land are entered into 

the planning tool. The forest professional then 

enters information on forest composition, landscape 

characteristics, conservation needs, maps, and other 

important information that describes the property. The 

technician identifies management and conservation 

practices that meet the landowners’ needs and goals. 

The end result is a forest stewardship management 

plan that can guide the landowner’s management for 

conservation and forest products over time. 

SMART is also useful for program record-keeping and 

can help track a plan’s achievements. The Puerto Rico 

Department of Natural and Environmental Resources 

will be piloting its implementation of SMART in the 

Guánica/Maricao and the Humacao Joint Priority 

Landscapes. SMART output now is delivered in 

Landscape Conservation 

The Puerto Rico State Action Plan identified several 

areas where Federal and State agencies and nongovernmental organizations were independently 

establishing conservation priorities and could 

leverage resources for mutual benefit. To capture 

the benefits of cooperation, they identified two joint 

priority landscapes for concerted effort: the GuánicaMaricao Landscape and Landscape and the Humacao 

Landscape. 

The Guánica-Maricao Landscape is in the southwestern 

corner of mainland Puerto Rico. The areas of 

collaboration include the restoration of habitat for 

the reintroduction of the Puerto Rican parrot in the 

Maricao State Forest, improvement of habitat for 

endemic birds, and the implementation of soil erosion 

control and other practices for improved stream 

and marine water quality. The Humacao Landscape 

is located in eastern part of Puerto Rico. The area’s 

forests may be lost or degraded by activities associated 

with urban sprawl. In both cases the majority of the 

land is in private ownership. No conservation effort 

will succeed in these areas without the support of 

landowners and communities. 

Department of Natural and Environmental Resources 

technicians are familiar with the people and resources 

of the joint priority landscapes. They will be working 

with several private contractors to expand the number 

English but a Spanish version for use nationally is on 

the drawing board. 

Institute Contact: Magaly Figueroa, mafigueroa@fs.fed.us M. Figueroa

Forest Stewardship property in Rio Limon Ward, Utuado, 

Puerto Rico. 

of people receiving technical assistance, and to increase 

the number of stewardship plans that can be produced. 

Filigrana, CSP, will be working in the GuánicaMaricao Landscape and the Cooperativa de Servicios 

Profesionales (COSPRO) will work in the Humacao 

Landscape. Both entities specialize in environmental 

projects. 

Institute Contact: Magaly Figueroa, mafigueroa@fs.fed.us
1 M. Figueroa 

Guánica-Maricao Joint Priority Landscape links conservation 

of freshwater and marine ecosystems with upland forests 

and farmland. 

State and Private Forestry

45
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Knowing and Celebrating the Río Piedras

State and Private Forestry

During FY 2012, the Forest Stewardship Program 

continued supporting the San Juan Urban LongTerm Research Area (San Juan ULTRA). Our active 

participation and funding ensured that communities 

within the study area have the opportunity to see firsthand the research initiatives that are taking place and 

how the research will translate into actions that will 

improve their quality of life. 

On June 2, 2012, the Puerto Rico Conservation 

Foundation, Puerto Rico Conservation Trust, Allied 

Interdisciplinary Environmental Group (GAIA), San 

Juan Bay Estuary Program, the Institute, and San Juan 

ULTRA hosted an environmental fair Registering My 

Watershed: Knowing and Celebrating the Río Piedras. 

The fair offered workshops and activities that provided 

Champion Trees Registry 

Somewhere out in a forest, a field, a back yard, or a 

road you may see a very large tree and be awed by 

its sheer size, the majesty of its crown, or the history 

it has survived. It seems only natural that people 

around the world have measured and marked the size 

and location of the biggest trees they have ever seen. 

And it is no surprise that this has led to a friendly 

competition to find the biggest tree of every kind. Since 

1940 the National Arbor Day Foundation has held a 

competition of big trees and registered the “national 

champions” by genus and species across the United 

States. Many jurisdictions have their own competitions 

for champions, and Puerto Rico is no exception. 

The Institute has kept the Registry of Puerto Rico’s 

information on the history of management of the area, 

as well as social and ecological information of the Río 

Piedras watershed. The people who participated that 

day had the opportunity to visit exhibition booths 

prepared by the various agencies and organizations 

that are partners in the project. Children participated 

in art workshops that were prepared especially for 

them. More than 350 people attended the event. During 

that day ULTRA presented a documentary where 

elders and residents of the basin related stories about 

activities in the area and the historical changes that 

happened over the years. The activity is only one of 

several outreach and educational activities planned for 

the communities within the Río Piedras Watershed. 

Institute Contact: Magaly Figueroa, mafigueroa@fs.fed.us 

Champion Trees since 1989 and recently entered into 

a partnership with the Conservation Trust of Puerto 

Rico to revitalize the island-wide competition and to 

re-measure the existing champions, which is required 

every 10 years. 

This year the Conservation Trust began to locate and 

assess the condition of the 140 champion trees on the 

Institute registry. They organized into four regions, 

established GPS locations for 42 trees, and created 

a new database for the registry that incorporated 

existing records from Institute. They also held staff 

training at their nature reserves and nursery facilities, 

and trained 35 volunteers in tree identification and 

forest mensuration. Of 37 trees visited, 2 had died and 

Conservation Trust StaffConservation Trust Staff 

Measuring champion trees such as this Panama Canoe Tree Champion trees can occur in many locations even in urban 

(Cananillesia platanifolia) takes teamwork.	 areas as the one where this Haiti Catalpa Tree (Catalpa 

longissima) is found. This tree is also known as Roble 

dominicano. 

46
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

5 were lost to development. This means there is an 

opportunity to designate new champions for Spathodea 

campanulata, Thrinazz morrisii, Cassia javanica, Ficus 

sintenissi, Samamea saman, Albizia lebbeck, and Cordia 

collococca. Already two new species of trees have tree 

nominations pending, a sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera) 

and groucho (Quarariba turbinate). 

Several activities have been held to promote 

the program. The Conservation Trust provided 

information and hosted a tree-measuring exercise at 

their Annual Conservation and Reforestation Fair held 

at Parque Luis Munoz Rivera in April. More than 3 

dozen fairgoers took the tree-measuring challenge. A 

presentation to the college environmental association 

Capítulo Estudiantil Sociedad Ambiente Marino at 

the University of Puerto Rico yielded a number of 

volunteers who helped locate and measure trees in 

the Metro Central Región. Over time we hope more 

communities will choose to participate and people will 

nominate trees from their own neighborhoods and 

local forests. 

Institute Contact: Constance Carpenter, 

conniecarpenter@fs.fed.us 

Communities, Conservation, and Public Land
 

The organization Ciudadanos de Karso (Citizens of the 

Karst) received a grant from the Forest Stewardship 

Program to host a series of activities to share 

information about sustainable tourism, conservation 

initiatives, and economic development opportunities. 

The first of two workshops—held on May 17, 2012 

and titled El Yunque and its Periphery: Uses and 

Preservation of Land in the Northeast Region of Puerto 

Rico—targeted architects, engineers, and planners in 

Puerto Rico. The workshop provided an overview of 

the development impacts and conservation initiatives 

in northeastern Puerto Rico and the Northeastern 

Ecological Corridor. Hitesh Mehta, an international 

expert on sustainable tourism, ecotourism, and ecohotel design, offered a lecture and described the 

different alternatives that are suitable for the area. An 

interdisciplinary panel of renowned experts discussed 

the integration of conservation and development of 

the northeastern region of Puerto Rico. The workshop 

was co-sponsored by the College of Architects and 

Landscape Architects of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico 

Conservation Trust, Puerto Rico Society of Planning, 

Interamerican University, Puerto Rico Conservation 

Foundation, and El Yunque National Forest. The 

event was also supported by private entities such as 

El Nuevo Día, one of the major newspapers in Puerto 

Rico, and Yaucono, a local coffee-producing company. 

Ciudadanos del Karso (CDK) hosted a second 

workshop titled Eco-hotels Planning and Management 

on May 18, 2012. The workshop was co-sponsored by 

Forest Products in Puerto Rico? 

Tropic Ventures, a Patillas, PR, non-profit entity and 

landowner participant of the Forest Stewardship 

Program, teamed with the Department of Natural and 

Environmental Resources and the Institute to develop 

a forest products assessment for Puerto Rico. The 

assessment, coordinated by Adrés Rúa from Tropic 

Ventures, provides information on markets and types 

of wood use Puerto Rico. This includes information 

the College of Architects and Landscape Architects of 

Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Conservation Trust, Puerto 

Rico Society of Planning, and El Yunque National 

Forest. This workshop also was led by Hitesh Mehta, 

author of Authentic Ecolodges, a reference book on the 

subject of eco-hotel planning, design, and operation. 

Dr. Mehta shared various experiences he has had over 

the course of his career and shared key considerations 

in the development of successful eco-hotels and the 

elements that must be taken into consideration during 

operations. A closing presentation took attendees on a 

virtual tour to the most successful projects Dr. Mehta 

has developed throughout the world. 

Institute Contact: Magaly Figueroa, mafigueroa@fs.fed.us 

State and Private Forestry 

on timber supply sources, types of wood used, buyers, 

and the source of demand for forest products. 

Rúa developed a list of sawmills that are operating in 

Puerto Rico (Table 6) and created a register of those 

facilities for artisans and local wood consumers. He 

visited sawmills and spoke with wood dealers and 

forest landowners to gather information of the kinds 

of services and the types of wood that are typical in 

47
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Puerto Rico. He also interviewed local artisans to 

identify their needs in terms of types of forest products 

they work with, the size specifications of wood, and the 

type of non-timber forest products, such as seeds, that 

were being sold. 

On April 11, 2012, Tropic Venture and the Department 

of Natural and Environmental Resources hosted a 

symposium, La Madera y Otros Productos Forestales 

de Puerto Rico (Wood and Other Forest Products 

in Puerto Rico). The targeted audience was the 

general public, landowners, artisans, woodworkers, 

government agencies, students, and non-profit 

organizations. More than 80 people attended the 

event, which featured presentations on topics that 

exemplify all aspects related to wood and non-timber 

forest products in Puerto Rico, including a description 

of the types of wood that are available in Puerto 

Rico, where they are available, and their uses. As an 

alternative to those who are interested in developing 

businesses related to non-timber forest products, there 

was a presentation on ethnobotany. The forum also 

provided information to landowners on the potential 

of tree plantations in Puerto Rico, the potential for a 

sustainable small-scale industry, and the opportunities 

available for support through Federal and State 

programs. 

Thrity (“3t”) Vakil shared Tropic Ventures’ experiences 

in land management and gave an overview of the 

Sustainable Forestry and Rainforest Enrichment 

Project that was established in 1983. The University of 

Puerto Rico presented a proposal for the establishment 

of a forestry curriculum to prepare the forestry 

professionals of the future and provide educational 

opportunities to our partners. At the end of the 

symposium Tropic Ventures presented a report of 

the partial results of the assessment. The assessment 

will be available to our partners on the Web site, Las 

Maderas de Puerto Rico (http://www.nuestramadera. 

org/). 

The group that attended the symposium was highly 

motivated and expressed interest in getting more 

information on the wood harvesting and processing 

processes. By popular demand, on August 8, 

Tropic Ventures hosted a workshop that included 

demonstrations on how to use the chainsaw, safety 

equipment, safe working practices, tree removal, and 

sawmill operation. The symposium was dedicated 

to Peter Weaver, a retired Institute Scientist, and 

Carlos Domínguez, also retired from the Institute. A 

demonstration of tree harvest and milling operations 

was held at Tropic Ventures in Patillas, PR. 

Institute Contact: Magaly Figueroa, mafigueroa@fs.fed.us 

Table 6. Active sawmills in Puerto Rico (visited by 

April 2012). 

Name Location 

Aserradero Nando Otero Ciales 

La Cialeña Ciales 

Taller Zayas Naranjito 

Aserradero Bayaney Hatillo 

Taller Alvarado Orocovis 

Taller Miraflores Patillas 

Aserradero Toño Rivera Morovis 

Vicente Valentín Vega Baja 

Aserradero Luis Hidalgo Camuy 

Aserradero Casa Vieja Lares

State and Private Forestry

M. Figueroa 

M. Figueroa 

M. Figueroa 

Bucking tree limbs. 

Sawmill demonstration 

Skidding logs out of the woods. 

48
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Transparency and Accountability
 

Monitoring is an important part of public service 

and one aspect of technical assistance that is seldom 

mentioned. There is a nationwide push to justify 

Federal programs and to increase transparency and 

accountability, so this year additional training has 

been provided by the Forest Service to State agencies 

and other partners. Partners attended trainings and 

Forest Health Protection Program 

The U.S. Forest Service Forest Health Protection 

Program at the Institute focuses on providing technical, 

professional, and financial assistance to stakeholders 

monitoring forest pests, diseases, and other biotic and 

reevaluated internal processes. Several participated 

in mandatory program reviews that looked at the 

alignment of the program with legislated goals and 

objectives, program development and delivery, safety, 

grant administration, records management, and civil 

rights. 

abiotic factors that may cause detrimental changes 

to the health of Puerto Rican and U.S. Virgin Islands’ 

forests. 

Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Plant Conservation 

A workshop on plant conservation in Puerto Rico and 

the Virgin Islands (PR-VI) was held at the University 

of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, June 25–29, 2012. 

The dual purpose was 

building capacity on plant 

conservation initiatives, 

including training in the 

International Union of 

Conservation of Nature 

(IUCN) Red Listing, and 

establishing a regional 

task force to analyze plant 

conservation issues and 

support conservation within 

the PR-VI biogeographic 

region. The workshop 

was a collaboration of the 

Fundación Puertorriqueña 

de Conservación, the 

U.S. Forest Service Forest Health Protection 

Program at the Institute, the Biology 

Department of the University of Puerto 

Rico at Mayagüez (UPR Mayagüez), and 

the United Kingdom Overseas Territories 

Programme of the Royal Botanical Gardens, 

Kew (Kew). Sara Bárrios, Martin Hamilton, 

and Dr. Colin Clubbe from Kew conducted a 

full-day Red Listing training and energized 

the discussions during the workshop. Red 

Listing assessments were undertaken for 

Erythrina eggersii, Zanthoxylum thomasianum, 

and Eugenia fajardensis, by using expert 

collective knowledge, herbarium data, and 

the Geospatial Conservation Assessment Tool 

(GeoCAT; http://geocat.kew.org), a newly 

developed tool to streamline geospatial 

analysis (Bachman et al. 2011). Another 

major outcome of this workshop was the 

C. Torres 

Endangered Banara vanderbiltii (Palo de 

Ramón) growing ex situ at the USFWS 

establishment of the PR-VI Plant Conservation Task 

Force. The task force’s overall goal is to “Protect and 

sustain the native plant diversity of Puerto Rico and the 

Virgin Islands.” A Web site (http:// 

herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/prvi) 

and Google group were developed 

with information about the 

workshop, including presentations 

and relevant literature. Presently 

a PR-VI Plant Conservation 

Strategy is being drafted that aims 

to collaboratively enable in-situ 

conservation and restoration, 

increase ex-situ conservation 

through partnerships, facilitate 

communication and outreach, and 

develop a plan for regional Red 

Listing of plants. 

M. Figueroa 

Field trip participants looking at the Harrisia cactus mealybug impacts on 

Pilosocereus royenii in the Guánica UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. 

State and Private Forestry

49
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Presentations covered ongoing local, regional, and 

global conservation efforts and policies (e.g., the 

history of plant listings in PR-VI, West Indian plant 

diversity, the PR Endangered Plant Initiative, the 

Convention of Biological Diversity’s Global Strategy 

for Plant Conservation, the Global Partnership for 

Plant Conservation, and the IUCN Red List). Dr. 

Mike Maunder (Florida International University), the 

plenary speaker, provided a global overview of plant 

conservation, looking at the major threats to plant 

diversity and the tools available for conservationists. 

The workshop was dedicated to Dr. Miguel A. “Papo” 

Vives Heyliger, who was recently awarded a Doctor 

honoris causa by UPR/Mayagüez for his botanical 

accomplishments and service as an inspiration 

to the university community. His knowledgeable 

contributions to the workshop were greatly appreciated 

by participants. 

Dr. Duane Kolterman and Jeanine Vélez (UPR 

Mayagüez) led a tour of the MAPR Herbarium 

facilities. Visits to the Guánica UNESCO Biosphere 

Reserve and to the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge 

highlighted the endangered plants and dry forest 

ecosystems, especially cacti species threatened by the 

Harrisia cactus mealybug (Hypogeococcus pungens). 

The workshop drew speakers and participants 

from 40 organizations, among them 17 academic 

departments in nine universities; various Federal, State, 

national, and local agencies; scientific and other nongovernmental organizations; private consultants; and 

other experts as well as students. Participants attended 

from nine countries—Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, 

British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, 

Jamaica, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United 

States. 

Institute Contact: Christian Torres Santana, 

cwtorressantana@fs.fed.us 

State and Private Forestry

Citizen Efforts for Monitoring Invasive Species in Puerto Rico
 

Puerto Rico experienced severe deforestation at the 

beginning of the 20th century. As a consequence, many 

introduced species were brought in for agriculture, 

reforestation, soil stabilization, and ornamental 

purposes. Additional species were inadvertently 

brought in shipments , and others such as fire ants 

have hitchhiked with imported potted plants or wood 

materials. As a result our ecosystems are currently 

coexisting with introduced and native species, yet 

some introduced species are becoming invasive 

because of their high abundance and harmful impacts 

on our economy and environment. In Puerto Rico, 

other introduced invasive species are capable of 

providing valuable ecosystem services. For example, 

the African tulip promotes favorable conditions for 

the establishment of understory species in abandoned 

pastures (Lugo 2004), and the European honeybees 

effectively pollinate the endangered tree Goetzea elegans 

(Caraballo-Ortiz and Santiago-Valentín 2011). The 

Invasive Species Executive Order 13112 of February 3, 

1999, directs Federal agencies, among other things, to 

monitor populations of such species and to promote 

public education about them. For effective monitoring 

and detection of incipient invasive species it is 

important to raise public awareness among citizens. 

Public education and citizen awareness of invasive 

species are two important approaches that would 

facilitate early detection of newly introduced and 

established invasives according to Prof. Sally González, 

landscape architect and urban forester, and Dr. 

Wilfredo Robles, weed scientist with the College of 

Agricultural Sciences at the UPR Mayagüez. 

Nowadays, public awareness and systematic citizen 

monitoring is considered one way to counteract the 

spread of unwanted invasive species. In 2010, the State 

and Private Forestry Forest Health Protection program 

supported a pilot citizen monitoring effort. The Grupo 

Antillano de Especies Invasoras (GAEI or Antillean 

Group for Invasive Species)—an interdisciplinary 

group of scientists, an extension specialist, and 

technicians from the College of Agricultural Sciences 

at the UPR Mayagüez—was established as part of 

this project. They developed 13 factsheets and a field 

guide in Spanish, and they trained citizens to identify 

and monitor invasive plants and insects. Volunteers 

were asked to attend a one-day training workshop 

that covered topics related to invasive plant and insect 

species, field identification, and the use of global 

positioning systems and databases to store data. 

Currently, more than 200 volunteers ranging from 12 

to 70 years of age have attended and are still involved 

with this program. Moreover, GAEI’s website (Atlas 

de Especies Invasoras de Puerto Rico; www.atlas. 

eea.uprm.edu) developed for this program has been 

consulted 70,743 times since its launch in April 2011. 

The water hyacinth factsheet (Fig. 17) is the most 

frequently consulted, with 1,794 hits to date. The main 

achievement since this monitoring program started 

is that attendees have gained knowledge about the 

worldwide problem of invasive species and about 

how they may prevent new introductions and further 

spread of invasive species. The GAEI Web site and 

Facebook page currently inform the general public on 

local relevant invasive species issues, and serve as a 

reporting database and a repository of the factsheets. 

50
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Furthermore, in 2012, the emphasis of this project were integrated, new invasive organisms will be 

expanded to include becoming bilingual (Spanish and included, and monitoring has advanced to now occur 

English), to be implemented on the U.S. Virgin Islands using a smartphone application that is currently being 

of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. Additional developed by GAEI. 

partners and expertise (PR Department of Agriculture Institute Contact: Christian Torres Santana, 

and the UPR Río Piedras and Humacao Campuses) cwtorressantana@fs.fed.us 

Figure 17. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) factsheet with distribution map in 

Spanish. 

González (UPRM) V.

Dr. Rosa A. Franqui describing insect mounting techniques during a workshop offered 

in Vieques Island. 

State and Private Forestry

51
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

International Cooperation 

Program Manager: Gerald Bauer, gbauer@fs.fed.us 

I

nternational Cooperation (IC) had a very active year working mostly in Central America and the 

Caribbean regions. Our primary areas of focus again this year were the Dominican Republic and 

Nicaragua, although we supported CAFTA-DR and other USAID activities throughout the region and 

the Mesoamerican Society for Biology and Conservation (SMBC). 

International Cooperation

G. Bauer 

Hispanola parrot feeding in tree. 

Global Activities 

•	1Provided a grant to the International Society for Tropical Forestry (www.istf-bethesda.org) (ISTF) for 

production and worldwide distribution of a newsletter. 

Regional Activities 

•	1Participated in the Mesoamerican Society for Biology and Conservation (SMBC) at their annual conference 

held in Panama City, Panama. 

h Sponsored an environmental 

communications pre-conference, 2-day 

workshop titled “Conservation Photography 

for Biologists.” Participation by 30 members 

from six countries. 

h Sponsored a SMBC member Conservation 

Photography Contest. Participation by 31 

members from eight countries. 

h Produced 5-minute multimedia show 

on “Biodiversity in Panama.” National 

Geographic photographer Christian 

Ziegler cooperated with the Institute in the 

production of this multimedia show. 

h Co-sponsored, with Institute NGO partner 

Paso Pacífico and the SMBC, the VIII 

Mesoamerican Seminar on Psittaciformes. 

A total of 12 presentations were given by 

scientists from six countries (Costa Rica, 

Cuba, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, and 

USA). These included: 

- White, Thomas, Jr. Estado y conservación 

de los psitácidos nativos del Caribe. 

- Canizares, Maikel. Resultados de 15 años 

de manejo de los psitácidos en Cuba. 

- Renton, Katherine. Estado de 

conocimiento sobre los psitácidos en 

México.
1

- Lainez, Said; and Héctor Orlanod 

Portillo. Conocimiento del estado 

de conservación de los psitácidos en 

Honduras. 

- Lezama-Lopez, Martín. Aproximación 

al estado de conservación de loro 

(Psittacidae) en Nicaragua.
1

52
- Monge, Guissella; Oliver Chassot; 

Yolando Matamoros; and Randall 

Arguedas. Estado de conservación de los 

psitácidos en Costa Rica. 

- Arriaga-Weiss, Stefan Louis; Lilia 

María Gama-Campillo; Juan Ramón 

Hernández-Ugalde; Juan Manuel KollerGonzález; and Juana Lourdes Trejo 

Pérez. Datos preliminares estatus de 

conservación de psitácidos en la Sierra 

Teapa-Tacataipa, Tabasco, Mexico. 

- Reyes-Mercado, Gladys; Ricardo 

Ramírez-Julian; Raúl Rivera-García; 

Laura Paciano Leyva; Antonio de Jesús 

Núñez Cebrero; and Remedios Martínez 

García. Actualización del estado de 

conocimiento del perico corona Blanca 

(Pionus senilis) en Oaxaca, México. 

- White, Thomas, Jr. Restricción y 

conservación del nicho ecológico de un 

psitácido neotropical: el caso del loro 

portorriqueño. 

- Ornelas Carrillo, Roberto; Claudia C. 

Cinta Magallon; and Carlos R. Bonilla 

Ruz. Uso de hábitat interanual de Ara 

militaris en un manglar del Occidente de 

México. 

Nicaragua Activities 

In coordination with Institute Wildlife Unit, we 

continued with our technical assistance and technology 

transfer to Nicaragua with support to long-term 

biomonitoring, sustainable tourism development, 

and sampling for mercury and other persistent toxic 

substances (PTS) in shade coffee and cloud forest 

within the Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve 

(Granada, Nicaragua). Our primary partners in 

Nicaragua were the Ministry of Environment and the 

NGOs Paso Pacífico and Fundación Cocibolca. Longterm plots were measured in agroforestry systems 

under five land uses (secondary and riparian forest, 

forest fallow, coffee plantations, and ‘open lands,’ e.g., 

grass- and pasturelands with scattered trees) in the 

northern highlands and the same agroforestry systems, 

with the exception of coffee plantations, in southern 

coastal areas within the Paso del Istmo biological 

corridor: 

•	1Bird surveys using distance-point-count 

methodology in the Paso del Istmo Biological 

Corridor and central mountain region: 300 point 

counts. 

•	1Entomological survey as part of long-term 

monitoring in the Paso del Istmo Biological 

Corridor: 854 individuals of 37 species; 

contribution to global database. 

IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

- Mondragón Hung, María Eugenia; and 

Héctor Orlando Portillo Reyes. Inicio de 

un plan de acción para la conservación 

de psitácidos en la Moskitia hondureña. 

- Cruz Maldonado Nereyda Nathalie; 

Sonia Gabriela Ortíz Maciel; Javier 

Cruz Nieto; and Fabrice De Clerck. 

Estado y conservación de la cotorra 

serrana occidental (Rhynchopsitta 

pachyrhyncha), Costa Rica. 

- Lezma-López, Martín. Abundancia de la 

lora nuca amarilla en el Paso del Istmo, 

Rivas, Nicaragua; una revisión sobre los 

esfuerzos de su conservación. 

h Sponsored a technical presentation at general 

sessions, including: 

- Ulate-Gómez, Katherine; Zaida Piedra 

Cerdas; Guissella Monge-Arias; Oliver 

Chassot; and Roberto Salom-Pérez. La 

Carta de la Tierra y Kamishibai como 

herramientas para la conservación de 

animales amenazados. 

- Torrez, Marvin; Wayne Arendt; and 

Marlón Sotelo. Comunidad de áves del 

sureste de Nicaragua y taza indicadoras. 

•	1Use of the MORPHO platform for data 

management in long-term biodiversity 

monitoring. 

• Publication: Arendt, W.J.; Tórrez, M.; Vílchez, 

S. 2012. Diversidad de aves en agropaisajes 

cafetaleros en la región norte de Nicaragua. 

[Avian diversity in agroscapes in Nicaragua’s 

north highlands] Ornitología Neotropical 23: 

113–131. 

In addition, several presentations and posters on the 

Nicaragua work were made during the year: 

•	1Presentation: Arendt, W.J.; Tórrez, M.A.; 

Chavarría, L.; Duriaux, G.; Jovel Amaya, N.; and 

Gutiérrez Ramírez, M. 2011. Use of residual body 

condition to determine habitat suitability and use 

of cloud forest and shade coffee by resident and 

migratory birds in Nicaragua (Presentation at the 

IX Neotropical Ornithological Congress, Cusco, 

Perú (8–14 November). 

•	1Poster: Lane, O.; Arendt, W.J.; Tórrez, M.A.; and 

Evers, D. 2012. Heavy metal exposure in resident 

birds and neotropical migrants in selected 

sites in Central America. 5th North American 

Ornithological Conference, Vancouver, British 

International Cooperation

53
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

International Cooperation

Columbia, Canada, 14–18 August (Category: 

Ecotoxicology and pollution). 

Other significant accomplishments in Nicaragua from 

IC and our international partners included: 

• NGO Paso Pacífico was invited for the third 

consecutive year to participate in the Clinton 

Global Initiative. 

•	1IC provided technical assistance to local partners 

to establish eco-consulting businesses to serve 

conservation NGOs and development projects in 

protected area buffers zones that would provide 

benefits to economically disadvantaged Hispanic 

community members. 

•	1IC developed a working relationship with the 

Universidad de Centro América in Managua and 

assisted with training biology students at the 

Santa Mauro Field Research Station. 

• Undergraduate student training—Provided 

technical support for two students at La 

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, 

Managua (UNAN). 

• Graduate student training—Provided technical 

support for one student at La Universidad 

Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, Managua 

(UNAN) in the Biology Department in 

cooperation with Fundación Cocibolca, and 

one student at Universidad de Managua in 

Environmental Communications, in cooperation 

with Deutche Welle Akodemie. 

•	1Co-sponsored the Sociedad Mesoamericana para 

la Biología y Conservación, Nicaragua Chapter, 

Dominican Republic Activities 

IC began a new agreement to continue to provide 

leadership, mentorship, and technology transfer 

to Dominican Republic partners in biodiversity 

conservation and sustainable tourism activities in 

local, underserved, and disadvantaged Hispanic 

communities and tourism clusters in coordination with 

the Dominican Consortium for Tourism Development 

(Consorcio Dominicano de Competitividad Turística, 

CDCT) and eight tourism clusters in Barahona, 

La Altagracia, La Romana-Bayahibe, Jarabacoa, 

Perdernales, Puerto Plata, Samana, and Santo 

Domingo. 

The primary focus was to assist Dominican Republic 

tourism clusters with biodiversity conservation and 

sustainable tourism development through on-theground technical assistance and training programs by: 

1. Conducting biological assessments for project 

activities; 

2.	 Providing technical training for communities to 

develop ecotourism activities; 

annual meeting and V Simposio Nacional de 

Medio Ambiente y Biología de la Conservación, 

August 29–30, 2012. More than 50 participants 

discussed natural resource management issues in 

Nicaragua. 

•	1Presented film nights on parrot conservation 

and sustainable tourism, presenting two films 

produced through support of the Institute 

in 2008–2009. Films were presented at seven 

‘cine-foros,’ four targeting youth, and three 

community-wide events. More than 200 viewers 

participated across communities. 

•	1Offered two bird-watching field trips to 

mangrove estuaries and dry tropical forests for 

more than 50 youth from rural villages of the San 

Juan del Sur municipality, March–May 2012. 

•	1Social Media—Used social media to share 

conservation and environmental messages to 

Nicaraguan and U.S. publics. On the Institute’s 

non-governmental organization partner Paso 

Pacífico Twitter account (@pasopacifico), 950 

followers shared in more than 1,000 tweets. 

•	1Conducted beach clean-up events in the San 

Juan del Sur municipality, including 12 events 

between October 2011 and September 2012, 

involving 617 volunteers and collecting 3,035 

pounds of garbage from Pacific and Atlantic 

beaches. 

•	1Assisted with organizing and conducting 

five “FAM” (familiarization) tours or trips for 

journalist to cover conservation activities in 

Nicaragua. A total of 27 journalists participated 

in these events. 

3.	1 Providing promotion and marketing assistance; 

4.	1 Providing information to support environmental 

education; and 

5.	1 Providing technical support to the Ministry 

of Environment in support of protected area 

management. 

The following major activities were undertaken: 

•	1Provided technical assistance to underserved, 

disadvantaged Hispanic local communities and 

NGOs to foster economic benefits by helping to 

establish eco-businesses in protected areas and 

their buffer zones in Laguna Bavaro Wildlife 

Refuge, Laguna Limón Wildlife Refuge, and local 

communities in Jarabaco (Sonido de Yaque) and 

Constanza (Salto Aguas Blancas). 

•	1Promoted International Migratory Bird Day with 

a rd watch in the Santo Domingo Colonial Zone 

and a public presentation on “Biodiversity, Birds 

and and Cultural Integration.” 

54
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

•	1Participated in local television programs (six 

times) in Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata 

to promote biodiversity conservation and 

ecotourism; these programs reached an audience 

in Domingo Republic and the United States of 

about 50,000 persons. 

•	1Developed interpretive signs for critical 

important protected areas such as Reserva 

Biological Charco Loma Azul and Monumento 

Natural Loma Isabel de Torres, Refugio de Vida 

Silvestre, and Laguna Bavaro. 

•	1Provided ecotourism and community 

development training to U.S. Peace Corps 

volunteers and their local counterparts. 

•	1Invited presentation: Arendt, WJ. 2011. Status 

of the white-crowned pigeon in the Dominican 

Republic in the 1970s. Joint U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service/Society for the Conservation 

and Study of Caribbean Birds: White-crowned 

Pigeon Conservation Project. Reunión y Taller de 

Capacitación de la Paloma Coronita, Punta Cana, 

República Dominicana (13−18 de noviembre de 

2011). 

•	1Completed seven technical reports to help 

provide for conservation of biodiversity in 

protected areas and buffer zones, these included: 

1)	1 Evaluación rápida y recomendaciones para 

el Desarrollo Ecoturístico de Sereno de La 

Montaña, Espaillat, República Dominicana. 

2)	1 Evaluación rápida de sitio arqueológico 

Piedras Letreadas, Constanza, República 

Dominicana. 

3) Rapid assessment of ecotourism potential 

in La Refugio de Vida Silvestre Manglar, La 

Gina, Miches, Dominican Republic. 

4) Rapid assessment for ecotourism 

development at Laguna Limon, Los 

Guineos, Dominican Republic. 

5) Mejoramiento del Sendero Aguas Blancas, 

Parque Nacional Valle Nuevo, Constanza, 

República Dominicana. 

6) Estado de avances acciones pendientes 

Sendero Padre Nuestro, Parque Nacional 

del este, Bayahibe, República Dominicana. 

7) Ideas para la producción de miel orgánica 

Sendero Padre Nuestro, Parque Nacional 

del Este, Bayahibe, República Dominicana. 

8) Taller sobre diseño, construcción y 

mantenimiento de senderos, proyecto 

ecoturístico Sereno de La Montaña, 

Espaillat, República Dominicana. 

9) Taller sobre diseño, construcción y 

mantenimiento de senderos, Monumento 

Natural Loma Isabel de Torres, Puerto Plata, 

República Dominicana. 

10) Análisis de sitio y recomendaciones para 

el desarrollo del sendero ecoturístico Loma 

Isabel de Torres, Monumento Natural Loma 

Isabel de Torres, Puerto Plata, República 

Dominicana (Fig. 18). 

SENDERO ECOTURÍSTICO 

Loma isabel de Torres 

Usted está aquí 

Distancia al Centro de Visitantes: 140 m. 

Mirador: 1,860 m. 

Distancia Total: 5,000 m. 

Dificultad: Difícil 

Trayecto teleférico 

Que ha pasado con este bosque? 

Músico del bosque 

Agua 

Pringamoza 

Aves endémicas

Mariposas 

Quien sembró esto? 

Camino vehicular 

Centro de visitantes

Comunidad Los Domínguez 

Sendero Ecoturístico 

Antiguo jardin botánico 

Estación del teleférico 

Parqueos 

Baños 

Mirador 

Área de picnic 

Leyenda 

Puntos de interés 1 

5 

4 

6 

3 

2 

7 

Hacia Puerto Plata 

1 

5 

4 

6 

3 

2 

7 

Figure 18. Map for Sendero Ecoturístico Loma Isabel de Torres 

International Cooperation

55
IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

Publications—Fiscal Year 2012
 

Publications—Fiscal Year 2012

For electronic versions of Institute publications, please go to Treesearch at www.treesearch.fs.fed.us. For 

hardcopy versions, please contact greyes@fs.fed.us, or write to: 

U.S. Forest Service - International Institute of Tropical Forestry 

Attn: Publications 

1201 Ceiba Street 

Jardín Botánico Sur 

San Juan, Puerto Rico 00926. 

1.	1 Abelleira Martinez, O.J. 2011. Flooding and profuse flowering result in high litterfall in novel Spathodea 

campanulata forests in northern Puerto Rico. Ecosphere. 2(9): article 105. 

2.	 Arendt, W.J.; Tórrez, Marvin; Vílchez, S. 2012. Diversidad de aves en agropaisajes en la region norte de 

Nicaragua. Ornitología Neotropical. 23: 113–131. 

3.	1 Abelleira Martínez, O.J.; Sanfiorenzo de Orbeta, Manuel S. 2009. Regeneración boscosa en un parque 

urbano en Río Piedras: recomendaciones para incrementar la biodiversidad. Acta Científica. 23(1-3): 49–59. 

4.	1 Alvarez Ruiz, M.; Lugo, A.E. 2012. Landscape effects on structure and species composition of tabonuco 

forests in Puerto Rico: implications for conservation. Forest Ecology and Management. 266: 138–147.
1

5.	1 Asner, G.; Palace, M.; Keller, M.; Pereira, M.; Silva, J.; Zweede, J. 2012. LBA-ECO TG-07 tree geometry in 

an undisturbed forest in Cauaxi, Para, Brazil. Data set. Available on-line [http://daac.ornl.gov) from Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A. http://dx.doi. 

org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1063 . 

6.	 Barberena-Arias, M.F.; González, G.; Cuevas, E. 2012. Quantifying variation of soil arthropods using 

different sampling protocols: is diversity affected? Pages 51–70 in: Sudarshana, P.; Nageswara-Rao, M.; 

Soneji, J.R., eds. Tropical forests. Intech (online publisher). http://www.intechopen.com/books/tropicalforests . 

7.	 Beltrán Salazar, J.W. 2012. Tritrophic interactions in subtropical novel dry woodlands: differential use of tree 

species by foraging birds and their arthropod prey. Río Piedras, PR: University of Puerto Rico, Department 

of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Biology Intercampus Graduate Program. Ph.D. Thesis. 164 p. 

8.	 Brandeis, T.J.; Meléndez-Ackerman, E.; Helmer, E.H. 2012. Forest vegetation cover assessment on Mona 

Island, Puerto Rico. e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–165. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest 

Service, Southern Research Station. 24 p. 

9.	1 Brokaw, N.; Crowl, T.A.; Lugo, A.E.; McDowell, W.H.; Scatena, F.N.; Waide, R.B.; Willig, M.R., eds. 2012. 

A Caribbean forest tapestry: the multidimensional nature of disturbance and response. New York: Oxford 

University Press. 460 p. 

10. Brokaw, N.; Zimmerman, J.K.; Willig, M.; Camilo, G.; Covich, A.; Crowl, T.; Fetcher, N.; Haines, B.; Lodge, 

J.; Lugo, A.E. ; Myster, R.; Pringle, C.M.; Sharpe, J.; Scatena, F.; Schowalter, T.; Silver, W.; Thompson, J.; Vogt, 

D.; Vogt, K.; Waide, R.; Walker, L.; Woolbright, L.; Wunderle, J.M.; Zou, X. 2012. Response to disturbance, 

chapter 5. Pages 201–271 in: Brokaw, N.; Crowl, T.A.; Lugo, A.E.; McDowell, W.H.; Scatena, F.N.; Waide, 

R.B.; Willig, M.R., eds. A Caribbean forest tapestry: the multidimensional nature of disturbance and 

response. New York: Oxford University Press. 

11. Crowl, T.A.; Brokaw, N.; Waide, R.B.; González, G.; Beard, K.H.; Greathouse, E.A.; Lugo, A.E.; Covich, 

A.P.; Lodge, D.J.; Pringle, C.M.; Thompson, J.; Belovsky, G.E. 2012. When and where biota matter, linking 

disturbance regime, species characteristics, and dynamics of communities and ecosystems. Pages 272–304 

in: Brokaw, N.; Crowl, T.A.; Lugo, A.E.; McDowell, W.H.; Scatena, F.N.; Waide, R.B.; Willig, M.R., eds. A 

Caribbean forest tapestry: the multidimensional nature of disturbance and response. New York: Oxford 

University Press. 

12. Davidson, E.A.; de Araujo, A.C.; Artaxo, P.; Balch, J.K.; Brown, I.F.; Bustamente, M.M.C.; Coe, M.T.; 

DeFriess, R.S.; Keller, M.; Longo, M.; Munger, J.W.; Schroeder, W.; Soares-Filho, B.S.; Souza, C.M., Jr.; Wofsy, 

S.C. 2012. The Amazon Basin in transition. Nature. 481: 321–328. 

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IITF 2012 Accomplishments Report 

13. Domínguez Cristóbal, C.M. 2009. Apuntes en torno a la caoba dominicana y hondureña en Puerto Rico 

durante el siglo XIX e inicios del siglo XX. Acta Científica. 23(1-3): 81–85. 

14. Domínguez Cristóbal, C.M. 2009. Aves municipales oficiales de Puerto Rico. Acta Científica. 23(1-3): 3–11. 

15. Domínguez Cristóbal, C.M. 2009. El historiador en una institución científica (Instituto Internacional de 

Dasonomía Tropical) apoyo o controversia. Acta Científica. 23(1-3): 60–63. 

16. Domínguez Cristóbal, C.M. 2009. La flor del tulipán africano (Spathodea campanulata): candidato idóneo a 

flor oficial del pueblo de Loíza. Acta Científica. 23(1-3): 86–87. 

17. Domínguez Cristóbal, C.M. 2009. Presencia de las aves en los escudos municipales de Puerto Rico. Acta 

Científica. 23(1-3): 88–90. 

18. Domínguez Cristóbal, C.M. 2011. Manual interdisciplinario de investigación forestal. Rio Piedras, PR: U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry. 146 p. 

19. Elmendorf, S.C.; Henry, G.H.R.; Hollister, R.D.; Björk, R.G.; Bjorkman, A.D.; Callaghan, T.V.; and others. 

2012. Global assessment of experimental climate warming on tundra vegetation: heterogeneity over space 

and time. Ecology Letters 15: 164–175. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01716.x 

20.	 Elmendorf, Sarah C.; Henry, G.H.R.; Hollister, R.D., et al. 2012. Plot-scale evidence of tundra vegetation 

change and links to recent summer warming. Nature Climate Change. DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE1465. 

21. Ewert, D.N.; Hall, K.R.; Wunderle, J.M., Jr.; Currie, D.; Rockwell, S.M.; Johnson, S.B.; White, J.D. 2012. 

Duration and rate of spring migration of Kirtland’s warblers. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 124(1): 9–14. 

22.	 González, G.; Murphy, C.M.; Belén, J. 2012. Direct and indirect effects of millipedes on the decay of litter of 

varying lignin content. Pages 37–50 in: Sudarshana, P.; Nageswara-Rao, M.; Soneji, J.R., eds. Tropical forests. 

Intech (online publisher). http://www.intechopen.com/books/tropical-forests . 

23. Gould, W.A.; Martinuzzi, S.; Pares-Ramos, I.K. 2012. Land use, population dynamics, and land-cover 

change in Eastern Puerto Rico. Pages 24–42 in: Murphy, S.F., Stallard, R.F., eds. Water quality and 

landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico. Professional Paper 1789-B. Reston, VA: U.S. 

Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. 

24. Gould, W.A.; Solorzano, M.; Rincon-Diaz, M.P.; Ortiz-Rosa, S.; Herrera-Montes, M.I.; Crain, B.J. 2011. 

Integrated gap analysis project: assessing conservation of freshwater, estuarine, marine, and terrestrial 

biodiversity. Pages 260–266 in: Proceedings of the 63rd Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, November 

1–5, 2010, San Juan, PR. Fort Pierce, FL: Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI). 

25. Grogan, J.; Schulze, M. 2012. The impact of annual and seasonal rainfall patterns on growth and phenology 

of emergent tree species in Southeastern Amazonia, Brazil. Biotropica. 44(3): 331–340. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-

7429.2011.00825.x 

26.	 Hallworth, M.T.; Reitsma, L.R.; Parent, K. 2011. Habitat use of the Louisiana waterthrush during the nonbreeding season in Puerto Rico. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 123(3): 567–574. 

27.	 Harris, N.; Lugo, A.E.; Brown, S.; Heartsill-Scalley, T., eds. 2012. Luquillo Experimental Forest: research 

history and opportunities. EFR-1. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture. 152 p. 

28.	 Heartsill-Scalley, T.; Scatena, F.N.; Moya, S.; Lugo, A.E. 2012. Long-term dynamics of organic matter and 

elements exported as coarse particulates from two Caribbean montane watersheds. Journal of Tropical 

Ecology. 28: 127–139. 

29. Helmer, E.H.; Ruzycki, T.S.; Benner, J.; Voggesser, S.M.; Scobie, B.P.; Park, C.; Fanning, D.W.; Ramnarine, 

S. 2012. Detailed maps of tropical forest types are within reach: forest tree communities for Trinidad and 

Tobago mapped with multiseason Landsat and multiseason fine-resolution imagery. Forest Ecology and 

Management. 279: 147–166. 

30. Holm, J.A.; Shugart, H.H.; Van Bloem, S.J.; Larocque, G.R. 2012. Gap model development, validation, and 

application to succession of secondary subtropical dry forests of Puerto Rico. Ecological Modelling. 233: 

70–82. 

31. Holwerda, F.; Bruijnzeel, L.A.; Scatena, F.N.; Vugts, H.F.; Meesters, A.G.C.A. 2012. Wet canopy evaporation 

from a Puerto Rican lower montane rain forest: the importance of realistically estimated aerodynamic 

conductance. Journal of Hydrology. 414-415: 1–15. 

32. Johnson, K.D.; Scatena, F.N.; Silver, W.L. 2011. Atypical soil carbon distribution across a tropical steepland 

forest catena. Catena. 87: 391–397. 

Publications—Fiscal Year 2012

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Publications—Fiscal Year 2012

33. Joseph, E.; Wunderle, J.M., Jr.; Currie, D.; Ewert, D.N.; White, J.D.; Carey, E. 2009. A brief history of the 

Kirtland’s warbler research and training program. Proceedings of the 12th Symposium on the Natural 

History of The Bahamas, San Salvador, Bahamas. 12: 59–65. 

34. Larkin, C.C.; Kwit, C.; Wunderle, J.M., Jr.; Helmer, E.H.; Stevens, M.H.H.; Roberts, M.T.K.; Ewert, D.N. 2011. 

Disturbance type and plant successional communities in Bahamian dry forests. Biotropica. 44(1): 10–18. 

10.1111/j.1744-7429.2011.00771.x 

35. Laurance, W.F.; Useche, D.C.; Rendeiro, J.; Lugo, A.E.; and others. 2012. Averting biodiversity collapse in 

tropical forest protected areas. Nature. 489:290-294. DOI: 10.1038/nature11318. 

36. Lugo, A.E., ed. 2009. Acta Científica. Vol. 23(1-3): 128 p. 

37. Lugo, A.E. 2012. Conundrums, paradoxes, and surprises: a brave new world of biodiversity conservation. 

Pages 1–12 in: Schlichter, T.; Montes, L., eds. Forests in development: a vital balance. Dordrecht: Springer 

Science + Business Media. 

38. Lugo, A.E.; Waide, R.B.; Willig, M.R.; Crowl, T.A.; Scatena, F.N.; Thompson, J.; Silver, W.L.; McDowell, 

W.H.; Brokaw, N. 2012. Ecological paradigms for the tropics: old questions and continuing challenges. Pages 

3–41 in: Brokaw, N.; Crowl, T.A.; Lugo, A.E.; McDowell, W.H.; Scatena, F.N.; Waide, R.B.; Willig, M.R., eds. 

A Caribbean forest tapestry: the multidimensional nature of disturbance and response. New York: Oxford 

University Press. 

39. Lugo, A.E.; Scatena, F.N.; Waide, R.B.; Greathouse, E.A.; Pringle, C.M.; Willig, M.R.; Vogt, K.A.; Walker, 

L.R.; González, G.; McDowell, W.H.; Thompson, J. 2012. Management implications and applications of longterm ecological research. Pages 305–360 in: Brokaw, N.; Crowl, T.A.; Lugo, A.E.; McDowell, W.H.; Scatena, 

F.N.; Waide, R.B.; Willig, M.R., eds. A Caribbean forest tapestry: the multidimensional nature of disturbance 

and response. New York: Oxford University Press. 

40. Lugo, A.E.; Carlo, T.A.; Wunderle, J.M., Jr. 2012. Natural mixing of species: novel plant–animal communities 

on Caribbean Islands. Animal Conservation. 15(3): 233–241. 

41. Luo, Y.; Melillo, J.; Niu, S.; Beier, C.; Clark, J.S.; Classen, A.E.T.; Dividson, E.; Dukes, J.S.; Evans, R.D.; Field, 

C.B.; Czimczik, C.I.; Keller, M.; Kimball, B.A.; Kueppers, L.M.; Norby, R.J.; Pelini, S.L.; Pendall, E.; Rastetter, 

E.; Six, J.; Smith, M.; Tjoelker, M.G.; Torn, M.S. 2011. Coordinated approaches to quantify long-term 

ecosystem dynamics in response to global change. Global Change Biology. 17: 843–854. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-

2486.2010.02265.x . 

42. Martinuzzi, S.; Gould, W.A.; Vierling, L.A.; Hudak, A.T.; Nelson, R.F.; Evans, J.S. 2012. Quantifying 

tropical dry forest type and succession: substantial improvement with LiDAR. Biotropica. 10.1111/j.1744-

7429.2012.00904.x . 

43. McDowell, W.H.; Scatena, F.N.; Waide, R.B.; Brokaw, N.; Camilo, G.R.; Covich, A.P.; Crowl, T.A.; González, 

G.; Greathouse, E.A.; Klawinski, P.; Lodge, D.J.; Lugo, A.E.; Pringle, C.M.; Richardson, B.A.; Richardson, 

M.J.; Schaefer, D.A.; Silver, W.L.; Thompson, J.; Vogt, D.J.; Vogt, K.A.; Willig, M.R.; Woolbright, L.L.; Zou, 

X.; Zimmerman, J.K. 2012. Geographic and ecological setting of the Luquillo Mountains. Pages 72–163 in: 

Brokaw, N.; Crowl, T.A.; Lugo, A.E.; McDowell, W.H.; Scatena, F.N.; Waide; Willig, M.R., eds. A Caribbean 

forest tapestry: the multidimensional nature of disturbance and response. New York: Oxford University 

Press. 

44. McGinley, K.; Alvarado, R.; Cubbage, F.; Diaz, D.; Donoso, P.J.; Jacovine Goncalves, L.A.; de Silva, F. 

L.; MacIntyre, C.; Monges Zalazar, E. 2012. Regulating the sustainability of forest management in the 

Americas: cross-country comparisons of forest legislation. Forests. 3: 467–505. doi:10.3390/f3030467 . 

45. Medina, E.; Cuevas, E.; Molina, S.; Lugo, A.E.; Ramos, O. 2012. Structural variability and species diversity of 

a dwarf Caribbean dry forest. Caribbean Journal of Science 46(2-3):203-215. 

46. Miller, S.D.; Goulden, M.L.; Hutyra, L.R.; Keller, M.; Saleska, S.R.; Wofsy, S.C.; Figueira, A.M.S.; da Rocha, 

H.R.; de Camargo, P.B. 2011. Reduced impact logging minimally alters tropical rainforest carbon and 

energy exchange. PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences): doi: 10.1073/pnas.1105068108 . 

47. Murphy, S.F.; Stallard, R.F.; Larsen, M.C.; Gould, W.A. 2012. Physiography, geology, and land cover of four 

watersheds in Eastern Puerto Rico. Pages 1–23 in: Murphy, S.F.; Stallard, R.F., eds. 2012. Water quality and 

landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico. Professional Paper 1789-A. Reston, VA: U.S. 

Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. 

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48. Palace, M.; Keller, M.; Hurtt, G.; Frolking, S. 2012. A review of above ground necromass in tropical forests. 

Pages 215–252 in: Sudarshana, P.; Nageswara-Rao, M.; Soneji, J.R., eds. Tropical forests. Intech (online 

publisher). http://www.intechopen.com/books/tropical-forests . 

49. Ramjohn, I.A.; Murphy, P.G.; Burton, T.M.; Lugo, A.E. 2012. Survival and rebound of Antillean dry forests: 

role of forest fragments. Forest Ecology and Management. 284: 124–132. 

50. Reed, S.C.; Wood, T.E.; Cavaleri, M.A. 2012. Tropical forests in a warming world. New Phytologist. 193: 

27–29. [Note: This is a summary of the findings of “From leaf to biosphere: the effects of a warming climate 

on tropical forests, an organized oral session at the 96th Annual Meeting, Ecological Society of America in 

Austin, Texas, USA, August 2011”] 

51. Scatena, F.N.; Blanco, J.F.; Beard, K.H.; Waide, R.B.; Lugo, A.E.; Brokaw, N.; Silver, W.L.; Haines, 

B.L.; Zimmerman, J.K. 2012. Disturbance regime. Pages 164–200 in: Brokaw, N.; Crowl, T.A.; Lugo, 

A.E.; McDowell, W.H.; Scatena, F.N.; Waide, R.B.; Willig, M.R., eds. A Caribbean forest tapestry: the 

multidimensional nature of disturbance and response. New York: Oxford University Press. 

52. Toms, J.D.; Eggert, L.S.; Arendt, W.J.; Faaborg, J. 2012. A genetic polymorphism in the sex-linked ATP5A1 

gene is associated with individual fitness in Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla). Ecology and Evolution. 2(6): 

1312–1318. 

53. Torres-Madronero, M.C.; Velez-Reyes, M.; Van Bloem, S.J.; Chinea, J.D. 2011. Multi-temporal unmixing 

analysis of hyperion images over the Guanica dry forest. 3rd Workshop on Hyperspectral Image and Signal 

Processing: Evolution in Remote Sensing (WHISPERS). Held 6-9 June 2011, Lisbon. Washington, DC: IEEE 

(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). 4 p. 

54. Torrez, M.; Arendt, W.J. 2011. Claves y pautas graficas en la determinacion de edad en dos especies del 

genero Thryothorus (Troglodytidae) en el Pacifico de Nicaragua. Ornitologia Neotropical. 22: 23–32. 

55. Vose, J.M.; Ford, C.R.; Laseter, S.; Dymond, S.; Sun, G.; Adams, M.B.; Sebestyen, S.; Campbell, J.; Luce, C.; 

Amatya, D.; Elder, K.; Heartsill-Scalley, T. 2012. Can forest watershed management mitigate climate change 

effects on water resources. Pages 12–25 in: Webb, A.A.; Bonell, M.; Bren, L.; Lane, P.N.J.; and others, eds. 

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56. Vazquez-Plass, E.O.; Wunderle, J.M., Jr. 2010. Differences in knowledge about birds and their conservation 

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57. Wadsworth, F.H. 2009. Conserva Puerto Rico con bosques maderables. Acta Científica. 23(1-3): 73–80. 

58. Wadsworth, F.H. 2009. Early assessment of the trees of the Luquillo Mountains. Acta Científica. 23(1-3): 

91–96. 

59. Wadsworth, F.H. 2012. Los bosques y el uso de madera en Puerto Rico. Printed online only as an open 

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60.	 Wadsworth, F.H. 2009. Topographic frequency of trees in the tabonuco forest of the Luquillo Mountains. 

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61. Wadsworth, F.H. 2009. Unas opciones para muestras de la naturaleza. Acta Científica. 23(1-3): 100. 

62.	 Walker, D.A.; Bhatt, U.S.; Callaghan, T.V.; Comiso, J.C.; Epstein, H.E.; Forbes, B.C.; Gill, M.; Gould, W.A.; 

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63. Weaver, P.L. 2011. Early recovery of subtropical dry forest in southwestern Puerto Rico. Bois et Forets des 

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64. Weaver, P.L. 2011. El Toro Wilderness, Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Pages 95–108 in: 

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wilderness values: Ninth World Wilderness Congress symposium; November 6-13, 2009; Mérida, Yucatán, 

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65. Weaver, P.L. 2009. Long-term diameter growth for trees in the Cinnamon Bay Watershed. Acta Científica. 

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66.	 Weaver, P.L.; Padilla Rodriguez, E. 2009. Hurricane recovery at Cabezas de San Juan, Puerto Rico, and 

research opportunities at Conservation Trust Reserves. Acta Científica. 23(1-3): 12–22. 

67.	 Willig, M.R.; Bloch, C.P.; Covich, A.P.; Hall, C.A.S.; Lodge, D.J.; Lugo, A.E.; Silver, W.L.; Waide, R.B.; Walker, 

L.R.; Zimmerman, J.K. 2012. Long-term research in the Luquillo Mountains, synthesis and foundations 

for the future. Pages 361–441 in: Brokaw, N.; Crowl, T.A.; Lugo, A.E.; McDowell, W.H.; Scatena, F.N.; 

Waide, R.B.; Willig, M.R., eds. A Caribbean forest tapestry: the multidimensional nature of disturbance and 

response. New York: Oxford University Press. 

68.	 Wolfe, B.T.; Van Bloem, S.J. 2012. Subtropical dry forest regeneration in grass-invaded areas of Puerto 

Rico: understanding why Leucaena leucocephala dominates and native species fail. Forest Ecology and 

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69. Wood, T.E.; Cavaleri, M.A.; Reed, S.C. 2012. Tropical forest carbon balance in a warmer world: a critical 

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70.	 Wunderle, J.M, Jr. 2012. Book review: Aves de Cuba by Orlando H. Garrido and Arturo Kirkconnell. Wilson 

Journal of Ornithology. 124(2): 420–421. 

71. Zalamea, M.; González, G.; Gould, W.A. 2012. Comparing litterfall and standing vegetation: assessing the 

footprint of litterfall traps. Pages 21–36 in: Sudarshana, P.; Nageswara-Rao, M.; Soneji, J.R., eds. Tropical 

forests. Intech (online publisher). http://www.intechopen.com/books/tropical-forests. 

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61

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