Cutover tropical forest productivity potential merits assessment, Puerto Rico

Abstract

Timber extraction continues to add to vast cutover tropical forests. They are unat-tractive economically because of the loss of merchantable timber and the long delay foreseen for recovery. Despite this, wood in cutover tropical forests is in line to become more marketable as demand continues and old-growth forests become less accessible. In a cutover forest in Puerto Rico a well formed immature trees of timber species was found. They were ubiq-uitous, growing throughout the foothills of a mountain on both convex and concave land surfaces, on steep as well as low slopes, and exposed to prevailing winds as well as protected. Higher tree productivity generally accompanied freedom from competitors, crown exposure, or crown size. One quarter of these trees, apparently enough for a second crop, had been pro-ducing at more than double the rate of the rest, approaching maturity in half the time. Appreciation of this potential might prevent wanton conversion of cutover forests to other land uses.