page_title: Territories of the United States
section_title: Forests
hierarchical_section_title: Territories of the United States / Flora and fauna / Forests
caption_attribution_description: English: View towards Pico Los Picachos from the top of Pico El Yunque. The visibility for local conditions was exceptional for that day.
context_page_description: Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the United States government. The various U.S. territories differ from the U.S. states and Native American tribes in that they are not sovereign entities. Territories are classified by incorporation and whether they have an "organized" government through an organic act passed by Congress. U.S. territories are under U.S. sovereignty and may be treated as part of the United States proper in some ways and not others. Unincorporated territories in particular are not considered to be integral parts of the United States, and the Constitution of the United States applies only partially in those territories.
  The U.S. currently has fourteen territories in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Five territories are permanently inhabited, unincorporated territories; the other nine are small islands, atolls and reefs with no native population. Of the nine, only one is classified as an incorporated territory. Two additional territories are claimed by the United States but administered by Colombia.
context_section_description: The USDA says the following about the U.S. territories (plus Hawaii):
  [The U.S. territories, plus Hawaii] include virtually all the Nation's tropical forests as well as other forest types including subtropical, coastal, subalpine, dry limestone, and coastal mangrove forests. Although distant from America's geographic center and from each other—and with distinctive flora and fauna, land use history, and individual forest issues—these rich and diverse ecosystems share a common bond of change and challenge.
  Forests in the U.S. territories are vulnerable to invasive species and new housing developments. El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico is the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest system.
  American Samoa has 80.84% forest cover and the Northern Mariana Islands has 80.37% forest cover—these are among the highest forest cover percentages in the United States (only Maine and New Hampshire are higher).
caption: View of El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico
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