- Hispaniolan pine forests
The Hispaniolan pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest
ecoregion found on theCaribbean island ofHispaniola . The ecoregion covers 11,600 km² (4,500 square miles) or about 15% of the island. The ecoregion lies above 850 meters elevation in the mountains of Hispaniola, extending from the Cordillera Central of theDominican Republic and into the northern massif ofHaiti . It is surrounded at lower elevations by theHispaniolan moist forests andHispaniolan dry forests ecoregions, which covers the remainder of the island.The natural vegetation of the region consists primarily of stands of the native
Hispaniolan Pine tree, "(Pinus occidentalis)". The pines are mixed with other conifers, including "Juniperus gracilior ", "J. eckmanii", and "Podocarpus aristulatus " (syn. "P. buchii"). Below 2100 meters elevation, the pine forests are interspersed with areas ofmontane broadleaf forest.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.
External links
* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0305_full.html Hispaniolan pine forests (World Wildlife Fund)]
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