246 FOREST OUTINGS 



THE PUBLIC FORESTS have within their boundaries the finest opportunities 

 for relief from the crowded lowlands found anywhere on the island. Under 

 the administration of three agencies, but coordinated by central control, 

 they cover nearly 85,000 acres. 3 With the exception of the insular mangrove 

 forests on the coasts, these public forest lands are confined to the high 

 watersheds lying above 1,000 feet elevation. 



The national forest, created by Theodore Roosevelt in 1903, includes 

 lands formerly owned by the Spanish Crown and ceded directly to the 

 United States Government by the Treaty of Paris. Because of their inac- 

 cessibility they were not parceled out as land grants but were held in 

 Crown ownership. These lands were unexploited and thus the only large 

 stands of virgin forests on the island were unintentionally saved for posterity. 



The inaccessibility of the public forest land barred the masses. A rough 

 and difficult trail did lead to the top of one peak, El Yunque, in the Luquillo 

 Mountains, but it was used by only a few hardy souls. The national forest, 

 in the main, remained as remote and untrodden as in the days of Columbus. 



Recent development and consequent use of forest lands for purposes of 

 recreation began when funds and manpower became available through the 

 CCC and other emergency programs in 1933. The essential first step was 

 to build motor roads opening up the forest interior. Because of steep slopes, 

 rock faults, and cliffs, thin mica-filled soils that get as slick as soap when 

 wet, and the tremendously heavy rainfall, landslides and wash-outs pre- 

 sented many engineering problems, especially on the new road traversing 

 the national forest. The supervisor of the Caribbean National Forest directs 

 the entire program. 



That the scenic and climatic advantages of the area opened to the public 

 by this road justified its construction is evident. In fact, public response 

 began before the road and recreational development were well under way. 

 As many as 1,000 persons a day seeking an outing was not unusual. After 

 5 years of work, the road has finally been connected across the divide. Now 

 the recreational center is easily accessible to more than a million people 



3 The Caribbean National Forest (2 units) contains 24,680 acres; the insular forests (7 

 districts) 39,600 acres; the Puerto Rican Reconstruction Administration forests (5 units) 

 20,650 acres; all public forest land on the island amounting to 84,930 acres. 



