Cuban pine forests
Open-knowledge reference entry
The Cuban pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest ecoregion on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. They cover an area of 6,400 km2 (2,500 sq mi), occurring in separate sections in eastern Cuba and western Cuba and Isla de la Juventud.
Description
Pine forests are found primarily in well-drained, nutrient-poor, acidic soils such as quartziferous sands, pseudo-spodosols in the west, and lateritic soils. Pine trees and encino (Quercus sagraeana) obtain nutrients through an ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with fungi, allowing them to attain tree size. The forests feature a dense xerophytic brushy story of mainly Rubiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Myrtaceae, and Melastomataceae along with a herbaceous story of a few epiphytes, primarily from the genus Tillandsia, and lianas. Secondary forests formed by deforestation have a more open canopy with an understory dominated by Comocladia dentata; grasses, lianas and epiphytes are poorly represented.
Western pine forests
Western pine forests are found in the northern and southern plains surrounding the Sierra de los Órganos in Pinar del Río Province and on the northern half of Isla de la Juventud. Annual precipitation is less than 1,500 mm (59 in), with a dry season from November to April and a rainy season from May to October. The temperature ranges from 21.5 to 28 °C (70.7 to 82.4 °F), averaging 25 °C (77 °F), and is somewhat less at higher elevations. Pino macho (Pinus caribaea var.
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