The Caribbean Sugar Bowl: A Case Study of “Human-Environment Interaction”

Martinson, Tom L.

doi:10.1080/00221349208979845

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…No long‐term climate data exist for the Dominican highlands. An isohyet map for the country as a whole indicates annual precipitation in JPRNP of ∼1000–1600 mm (Martinson 1992), but these values derive from interpolation from mid‐elevation stations, and may be tenuous owing to the spatial variability of mountain climate where elevations approach or exceed the TWI. Rainfall in the highlands is strongly seasonal; little rain falls between January and March, and subfreezing overnight temperatures and frost are common during that time.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…No long-term climate data exist for the Dominican highlands. An isohyet map for the country as a whole indicates annual precipitation in JPRNP of ∼1000-1600 mm (Martinson 1992), but these values derive from interpolation from mid-elevation stations, (Horn et al 2001). Years since fire are reported with respect to the time of data collection (1999).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Postfire Vegetation Recovery in Highland Pine Forests of the Dominican Republic

Kennedy

Horn

2008

Biotropica

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We surveyed postfire vegetation at five sites at high elevations (> 2000 m) in the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic. Highlands of the Cordillera Central are dominated by a single pine species, Pinus occidentalis, but plant communities are rich with endemics and conservation and fire management efforts in these systems are ongoing. The burns were 2–7 yr in age and had consumed nearly all shrub crowns. Pines suffered high mortality (> 50%, all sites combined), but shrubs resprouted at high rates (88%, N= 957) after fire. All shrub taxa produced basal resprouts; eight of 11 shrub taxa measured had resprouting rates > 90 percent, while Baccharis myrsinites had the lowest (56%). Most taxa grew to prefire height quickly (within 5–7 yr), with regrowth of stem diameters lagging behind. Patterns and rates of shrub recovery resembled those documented in high elevation shrublands in Costa Rica and Brazil. Pinus occidentalis does not resprout, but larger individuals can survive fire. Survival increases dramatically when trees attain > 13‐cm dbh, when bark becomes thick enough to protect cambial tissue. Overall, pines are regenerating much more slowly than shrubs, but seedling establishment varied considerably between sites. Frequent fires may cause a decline in pines and an increase in shrub‐ or grass‐dominated communities. Succession in these high elevation fire‐dependent pine forests favors taxa already present in the preburn vegetation, with woody composition changing little after fire, in contrast to lower‐elevation cloud forest, where postfire vegetation has been shown to bear little resemblance to mature forest even after several years.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%