In Puerto Rico, forest fires are majorly caused by humans since the climate conditions in the island do not cause them naturally. In Maricao, the Pinus caribaea thrives in the forest and had rapidly spread due to excess pine needles and the hurricanes. The Caribbean Pine has grown enough to form a thick pine mulch throughout the forest that fuels forest fires in Maricao. Here, we met with the firefighters involved in mitigating the fire event, where they spoke of the spread, the need of management and prevention. This fire event has led us to think about ways to manage this invasive species in the island to prevent the fires and to allow recovery in a forest that has plenty of native species and other natural resources.

On the other hand, in Guánica, Protectores de Cuencas, a non-profit organization in partnership with USFS, has been working towards the restoration of the Guánica Dry Forest, which has had changes in structure and composition due to forest fires caused by human activity. In their project, their goal is to reduce the risk of fire, mitigate invasive species, and plant trees and shrubs for the benefit of the forest. They also engage their communities in planting these trees and they most recently had an activity where school students participated in planting while learning about the importance of trees and fire prevention.

I believe that learning and talking about the effects of forest fire and invasive species such as the Caribbean pine and how they affect the forest structure, composition, and the danger of spreading fire is important to all, especially in Puerto Rico where forest fire is caused by human activity and not by nature itself to prevent future forest fires.

Image: Recovering burnt tree.