Hispaniolan pine forests


The Hispaniolan pine forests are a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The ecoregion covers, or about 15% of the island. It lies at elevations greater than in the mountains of Hispaniola, extending from the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic and into the Massif du Nord of Haiti. It is surrounded at lower elevations by the Hispaniolan moist forests and Hispaniolan dry forests ecoregions, which cover the remainder of the island. Annual rainfall is.

Flora

The natural vegetation of the region consists primarily of stands of pino criollo. Pines are mixed with other conifers, including sabina and Podocarpus aristulatus. Below, pine forests are found on lateritic soils and are interspersed with areas of wet montane forest. Important broad-leaved species are Garrya fadyenii and Vaccinium cubense near Constanza and the Sierra de Bahoruco, Rapanea ferruginea near Jarabacoa and San José de las Matas, and Buddleja domingensis along the Cordillera Central. Plants of montane steppe include cara de hombre, abey, yaya fina, pajón, Verbena officinalis var. officinalis, and Weinmannia pinnata.

Threats

More than half of the ecoregion's area has been lost to clearing for agriculture, pasture, or plantations of exotic trees. The Haitian portion of the ecoregion is more deforested than the Dominican portion.