Where Dwarfs Reign: A Tropical Rain Forest in Puerto Rico

by Kathryn Robinson

This book enters the lush tropical world of El Yunque, officially known as the Caribbean National Forest -- the most visited forest in the Caribbean, one of the oldest reserves in the hemisphere, the only tropical forest in the U.S. national forest system, and a microcosm of New World tropical rain forests. It is the first book geared to the general public that takes an in-depth look at El Yunque. Drawing from interviews, from scientific articles and books, and from numerous trips into the forest, the author has pieced together the tale of a forest ruled by the dwarf trees that reign on its highest peaks and ridges.

Hardcover

Published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is super niche, but exactly my niche, because I’m a weirdo that needs to study before I go on vacation to a tropical island. My husband and I went to this area of Puerto Rico for our 20th anniversary, and I was excited to spend time in a rainforest, & I wanted to get more out of it than saying, “wow, this place looks cool!” I wanted to understand the history of this rainforest, the people who have made it their home, the plants and animals that live there, the climate factors that make it what it is, & how the forest service does the recreation/preservation/interpretation/use dance all public lands must do. It was exactly what I hoped it would be, & I appreciated the author’s curiosity, nuance, and love for the place.

Also, because I read this, I noticed all kinds of cool things I wouldn’t have been watching for - two-story- tall ferns, CCC projects, air plants, & dwarfed trees in the cloud forest. I am so glad I read this!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a book about the types of forests in the mountains of Puerto Rico. This book is the only one I could find that came closest to what I was looking for. It is only about the Luquillo Mountains in eastern Puerto Rico, it didn’t include the Cordillera Mountains in central & western Puerto Rico, which we plan on doing some hiking there as well.
The book seems to have thorough information about the Luquillo Mountains including the history. History was my worst subject in high school decades ago & I disliked it, but I did find some of the parts about the history of the people there interesting.
This book has a couple of chapters with the information I’m looking for. It didn’t mention the types of forests in the Cordillera Mountains but it did mention the 4 basic types of forests in the tropics in general (dry forests, deciduous (leaf-shedding) forests, rainforests & cloud forests). The forest in the Luquillo Mountains is a tropical rainforest and it is subdivided into 4 forests types (tabonuco, palo colorado, sierra palm and dwarf).
I was pleasantly surprised when I read the chapter about plants that it had a section about ferns. Being a fern lover, I was excited to learn something new about ferns. There are 150 fern species & 240 tree species at El Yunque, which is in the Luquillo Mountains. I have a feeling that during our trip to Puerto Rico later on this year I’ll be taking a lot of pictures of plants. The book has made me want to learn more about the forest. The pictures in the book whet my appetite for hiking in the forest & seeing it in person.