Tree damage and recovery from Hurricane Hugo in Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico

Hurricane Hugo struck Puerto Rico on 18 September 1989 with maximum sustained winds of over 166 km/hr (Scatena & Larsen 1991) and caused severe defoliation of 56 percent of the trees in study plots at El Verde in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF). Some trees were uprooted (9%) or had trunks that snapped (11%), but overall mortality was low (7%). Damage was patchy on twenty 300 m2 plots with most damage occurring on north-facing sites. Tall trees and trees with large diameters were most likely to be uprooted, but successional status of trees was not a good predictor of the amount of damage the trees sustained. Recovery patterns varied among species but refoliation was rapid. Widespread sprouting and minimal breakage of large branches will probably lead to the recovery of most trees.

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