Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve is a protected area in the Cayo District of southern central Belize . It was established in 1944 to protect and manage the native Belizean pine forests. Its boundaries are poorly defined, but it is estimated to cover an area of 106,352.5 acres (430 km), although much of the reserve has been leased.
19-480: The reserve is predominantly pine forest (58.5%), primarily Caribbean pine , Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis , but with a significant broadleaf forest component (36.8%). There are small areas of grassland (3.4%) and wetland (0.6%). Roads, rivers and other features make up the remainder of the area (10.9%). The climate is subtropical with a rainy season from July to February. During the dry season (February to May) temperatures may reach 39 °C (102 °F) with
38-464: A humidity level of 70%. The majority of the reserve is situated on a granite massif , with some areas of limestone in the west of the reserve (remnants of a limestone plateau laid during the Jurassic ). Sinkholes and caves are common in the limestone areas. The underlying soils are predominantly sandy. The elevation of the reserve averages between 400 and 700 m (1,312 to 2,296 ft) with
57-400: A major role in the distribution of this species; this tree regenerates quickly and aggressively, replacing broadleaf trees after fires. In zones without fires, the succession continues and the pine forest is replaced by tropical broadleaf forest. The young pines require bright sunlight to grow, and are resistant to fire once they mature. Lumber and pulpwood from this tree shipped to Florida
76-688: Is accessible only by boat, and archaeological investigations have uncovered a large number of Mayan relics from the various ledges above the river, suggesting it was used for rituals. The Rio Frio Cave through which the Rio Frio runs, has the largest entrance of any cave in Belize. There are small waterfalls on the Rio On and larger drops at Big Rock Falls on the Privassion Creek and Hidden Valley Falls. Baldy Beacon provides uninterrupted views over
95-636: Is mid-way between a tropical rainforest and a tropical savannah. Precipitation averages 2,000 mm/year. The characteristic tree species of the ecoregion is the Caribbean pine ( Pinus caribaea ). 62% of the small ecoregion is wet tropical forest (closed and open), 25% is herbaceous wetland, 5% is shrub, and the small remainder is cultivated agricultural land. In addition to the Caribbean pine, there are lesser stands of Calabash tree ( Crescentia cujete ), oak ( Quercus ), Wild cashew tree ( Curatella americana ), Changunga ( Byrsonima crassifolia ), and
114-642: Is now abandoned. Caribbean pine Pinus hondurensis Sénéclauze The Caribbean pine ( Pinus caribaea ) is a hard pine species native to Central America and the northern West Indies (in Cuba , the Bahamas , and the Turks and Caicos Islands ). It belongs to subsection Australes in subgenus Pinus . It inhabits tropical and subtropical coniferous forests such as Bahamian pineyards , in both lowland savannas and montane forests. As of 2013,
133-576: Is the main export of the Abaco Islands . According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature , this species as a whole is considered of least concern , but two of the three varieties are considered endangered (var. caribaea ) or vulnerable (var. bahamensis ). Belizean pine forests The Belizean pine forests is an ecoregion that represents an example of lowland and premontane pine forests in
152-665: The Neotropical realm , where the dominant tree species is Caribbean pine . The vegetation here is generally adapted to the xeric , acidic and nutrient -poor conditions along the Belizean near coastal zone of the Caribbean versant. The ecoregion is almost entirely located in Belize, with a few very small tracts in Mexico and Guatemala. The ecoregion is spread across several small, disconnected sites. The inland sites are in
171-410: The rufous-capped warbler , common crossbill , pine siskin , eastern bluebird , stygian owl , king vulture , ocellated turkey , acorn woodpecker , Lesson's motmot , plumbeous vireo , keel-billed toucan and red-lored parrot . Winter visitors include the hepatic tanager and chipping sparrow . Orange-breasted falcons are more common in the area than elsewhere in Belize. Other fauna present in
190-586: The Caribbean islands from populations in Central America at least twice (one leading to Cuban populations and another leading to the populations on the Bahamas). The Uverito forest in Venezuela, located between the states of Anzoátegui and Monagas, is the largest artificial forest in the world planted by man, with around 600,000 hectares of Caribbean pine forest plantations. Periodic wildfires play
209-448: The area of the reserve was reduced, losing some land to the neighbouring Sibun Forest Reserve . Hunting was banned in the reserve in 1978 in recognition of the nature conservation role that could be played by the reserve. The reserve is home to various large mammals , including cougars , jaguars , ocelots , white-nosed coatis , and Baird's tapirs . There is a small population of Morelet's crocodiles . Native species of bird include
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#1732787497008228-463: The area, a region of 1,504,000 acres (6,086 km) was designated as forest reserve in October 1944, but despite fire control measures being established in 1945, much of the forest was destroyed by a fire in 1949. Few trees in the existing forest date to before this period. The reserve was reclassified in 1952 as a production forest and the 1950s saw the provision of roads and a landing strip. In 1959,
247-506: The center and north and on plains and lowland terrain. The coastal, southern sites are more fragmented. The climate of the ecoregion is Tropical monsoon climate ( Köppen climate classification (Am) ). This climate is characterized by relatively even temperatures throughout the year (all months being greater than 18 °C (64 °F) average temperature), and a pronounced dry season. The driest month has less than 60 mm of precipitation, but more than (100-(average/25) mm. This climate
266-484: The climate became wetter. Based on fossil species assemblages it is believed that the environment on the Bahamas was much less forested and a dry savannah during the glacial maximum some 18,000 years ago when the sea level was some 120 metres (390 feet) lower than it is today. Paleoclimatic and genetic data have been used to propose that P. caribaea ultimately originated in Central America. According to chloroplast genetic data, P. caribaea lineages colonized
285-615: The early history of the area. The Maya had a city at Caracol on the borders of the modern reserve as early as 1200 BC, and Mayan artifacts discovered in Barton Creek Cave suggest that it was used as a ritual site. There is no mention of Mountain Pine Ridge in Hummell's 1921 report of Belizean forests, but it is believed he may have been the first forester to visit the area in 1897. To control increasing forestry activity in
304-469: The highest point being Baldy Beacon at 1,017 m (3,336 ft), and dropping to 120 m (394 ft) at the lowest point on the Macal River . The Macal River forms the boundaries of the reserve to the west and south and is fed by tributaries including Rio Frio , Rio On , Privassion Creek and Pinol Creek . To the north-east some small streams feed into Barton Creek . Little is known of
323-518: The reserve are the frog species Rana juliani (which is restricted to the Maya Mountains ) and Eleutherodactylus sandersoni , and the fish species Poecilia teresae . The pine forest has been seriously damaged by the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis , with 80% of the trees showing signs of attack. At Barton Creek, there is a large river cave that may extend up to 4.5 miles (7.2 km) and has not been fully explored. It
342-609: The reserve, as its soil is too poor to support any vegetation other than some hardy grasses. The area is sparsely populated with the highest concentration (a few hundred people) located at Douglas D' Silva Forest Station, the administrative headquarters of the Western Division of the Forestry Department. A Mennonite community has existed at Barton Creek since around 1969, when Mennonites from Spanish Lookout moved there. A former logging settlement at San Luis
361-459: The species has three accepted varieties : It has been proposed that the pines of Australes subsection (of which Caribbean pine is part) arrived to the Caribbean basin from the southeastern United States . Regarding the population in the Bahamas, it has been proposed that this species emigrated into the region from Florida four or five thousand years ago, long after the end of the Ice Age , as
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