Welcome to the Pterocarpus Forest

You are about to enter a unique, 51-acre, Pterocarpus swamp forest nature preserve. This is one of the largest known remaining swamp forests in Puerto Rico, among the estimated 15 that remain. At last count, before Hurricane
María, the Forest served as habitat to 44 species of flora and 52 species of fauna, of which 13 are considered native or endemic to Puerto Rico, perhaps even only in this part of Puerto Rico.

Once common in Puerto Rico’s coastal wetlands, the remaining Pterocarpus forests are few, widely inaccessible, fragmented and in danger of disappearing altogether. These forests grow in areas permanently flooded by fresh water, and the predominant tree species in this type of wetland is the Pterocarpus, commonly known in Spanish as Palo de pollo, a tree which may
grow more than 65 feet tall, and with large aerial roots that allow it to grow in flooded soil.

The Pterocarpus Forest at Palmas del Mar is private nature preserve open for the benefit of all the people of Puerto Rico and to visitors to the Island. It is part of a Conservation Easement with the environmental organization Para la Naturaleza, which guarantees its preservation in perpetuity.

In 1998, the Palmas del Mar Homeowners Association (PHA) initiated the project of restoring the Pterocarpus Forest and its elevated boardwalk. At that moment, PHA’s goal was to restore a degraded forest that had been affected by Hurricane Georges on September 21 and 22, 1998. Two years later, the Friends of the Pterocarpus Forest were formed with the goal of establishing and maintaining a permanent conservation program to preserve this valuable ecosystem. From that moment, and after Hurricanes Irma and
Maria in 2017, the objective of PHA and the Friends has been to preserve this unique, increasingly rare ecosystem, and make it accessible so that you can enjoy this invaluable recreational, educational and ecological resource.

With help from PHA, the community and other organizations, the Friends of the Forest has restored the boardwalk within the Forest (twice, because of hurricanes) and has developed this application and other educational materials, including interpretive signage you’ll see along the boardwalk.

These materials focus on the nature and functions of Pterocarpus forests and the forest’s flora and fauna.

Also, at your left, there is an information / activity gazebo and a bird observation tower. We will talk more about these structures at the end of the tour.