Cambalache Forest Reserve Spanish: Bosque Estatal de Cambalache | |
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Geography | |
Location | Arecibo, Barceloneta |
Area | 1,600 cuerdas (1,600 acres) |
Administration | |
Status | Public, Commonwealth |
Governing body | Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) |
Website |
www |
Ecology | |
WWF Classification | Puerto Rican moist forests |
Cambalache State Forest and Reserve ( Spanish: Bosque estatal de Cambalache, also referred to as Parque nacional de Cambalache) [1] is a nature reserve and one of the 20 state forests in the territory of Puerto Rico. [2] [3] The Cambalache State Forest is located in the municipalities of Arecibo and Barceloneta in northern Puerto Rico. [4]
The Cambalache State Forest was proclaimed in 1943 through a deal between the United States Forest Service and the Land Authority of Puerto Rico (Autoridad de Tierras) as part of a research program dedicated to the ecological and geological study of the island's Northern karst. The forest was first known as the Cambalache Experimental Forest. It was proclaimed a state forest in 1973. [4]
The forest reserve protects steep limestone hills known as mogotes, which are covered in patches of moist forests. The elevation ranges from 5 to 50 m (16 to 164 ft) above mean sea level. Average rainfall is 1,479.8 mm (58.26 in) per year, with the temperature varying from 23.3 to 27 °C (73.9 to 80.6 °F). Mogotes oriented northeast to southeast have humid northern and southwestern slopes but xeric tops. [5] It has an area of 1,050 cuerdas (about 1,019 acres). [6]
The forest is divided into various forest units located throughout the municipalities of Arecibo ( Factor, Garrochales, Miraflores, Sabana Hoyos and La Mano Farm) and Barceloneta (Benero and Palenque Farms). [4]
More than 150 trees and large shrubs have been identified in the forest. Common trees include Cecropia, Schefflera, and Tabebuia heterophylla. The endemic Puerto Rican royal palm ( Roystonea borinquena) and Palma de Sierra ( Gaussia attenuata) are also found in the forest. Zanthoxylum martinicense inhabits xeric areas. [7] Eugenia biflora and Eugenia ligustrina are found in the forest. [8] The hillsides and valleys are home to distinct vegetation zones. The valleys have lost most of their original vegetation and instead feature scrubby secondary forests and planted teak groves. [5]
The forest is home to at least two endangered species: the Puerto Rican boa ( Epicrates inornatus) and the red fruit bat ( Stenoderma rufum). Some other animals found in the forest are the Puerto Rican lizard cuckoo ( Coccyzus vieilloti), the Puerto Rican tody ( Todus mexicanus), the green mango ( Anthracothorax viridis), the Puerto Rican bullfinch ( Melopyrrha portoricensis), the Puerto Rican oriole ( Icterus portoricensis), and Adelaide's warbler ( Setophaga adelaidae). There is also a large variety of butterfly species some of which are rare. [4]
Parts of the forest are open to visitors with opportunities for hiking, camping and biking. The visitors' area is located by highway PR-22. [9]