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Tabonuco and Plantation Forests at Higher Elevations Are More Vulnerable to Hurricane Damage and Slower to Recover in Southeastern Puerto Rico

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  • Michael W. Caslin

    (Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, 2800 Faucette Dr., Raleigh, NC 27607, USA)

  • Madhusudan Katti

    (Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, 2800 Faucette Dr., Raleigh, NC 27607, USA)

  • Stacy A. C. Nelson

    (Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, 2800 Faucette Dr., Raleigh, NC 27607, USA)

  • Thrity Vakil

    (Director of Tropic Ventures Sustainable Forestry & Rainforest Enrichment Project, Las Casas de la Selva, Hc 63 Bzn 3879, Patillas, PR 00723, USA)

Abstract

Hurricanes are major drivers of forest structure in the Caribbean. In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused substantial damage to Puerto Rico’s forests. We studied forest structure variation across 75 sites at Las Casas de la Selva, a sustainable forest plantation in Patillas, Puerto Rico, seven years after Hurricane Maria hit the property. At each site we analyzed 360° photos in a 3D VR headset to quantify the vertical structure and transformed them into hemispherical images to quantify canopy closure and ground cover. We also computed the Vertical Habitat Diversity Index (VHDI) from the amount of foliage in four strata: herbaceous, shrub, understory, and canopy. Using the Local Bivariate Relationship tool in ArcGIS Pro, we analyzed the relationship between forest recovery (vertical structure, canopy closure, and ground cover) and damage. Likewise, we analyzed the effects of elevation, slope, and aspect, on damage, canopy closure, and vertical forest structure. We found that canopy closure decreases with increasing elevation and increases with the amount of damage. Higher elevations show a greater amount of damage even seven years post hurricane. We conclude that trees in the mixed tabonuco/plantation forest are more susceptible to hurricanes at higher elevations. The results have implications for plantation forest management under climate-change-driven higher intensity hurricane regimes.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael W. Caslin & Madhusudan Katti & Stacy A. C. Nelson & Thrity Vakil, 2025. "Tabonuco and Plantation Forests at Higher Elevations Are More Vulnerable to Hurricane Damage and Slower to Recover in Southeastern Puerto Rico," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:7:p:1324-:d:1684565
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kevin A. Reed & Michael F. Wehner & Colin M. Zarzycki, 2022. "Attribution of 2020 hurricane season extreme rainfall to human-induced climate change," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-6, December.
    2. Kevin A. Reed & Michael F. Wehner & Colin M. Zarzycki, 2022. "Author Correction: Attribution of 2020 hurricane season extreme rainfall to human-induced climate change," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-1, December.
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