Toro Negro Commonwealth Forest

Toro Negro State Forest Spanish: Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro
Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro shown in the foreground
Geography
The map shows the location of ranger's office at Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro
Location	PR-143, km. 32.4 and PR-149 km 39.0, Ponce/Jayuya/Orocovis/Ciales/Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico
Coordinates	18°10′24″N 66°29′32″W / 18.17342°N 66.49231°W / 18.17342; -66.49231Coordinates: 18°10′24″N 66°29′32″W / 18.17342°N 66.49231°W / 18.17342; -66.49231
Elevation	4,390 feet (1,340 m)
Area	8,204 cuerdas (7,968 acres) (32.24 km2)
Status	Public, Commonwealth
Established	1934 with 6,800 acres
Visitation	126,916(2008)
Events	Cerro Maravilla murders
Governing body	Puerto Rico DRNA
Website	www.drna.gobierno.pr
Ecology
Ecosystem(s)	Subtropical Moist Zone (31% of the forest): -Tabonuco forest. Lower Mountain Wet Zone (69% of the forest): -Micropholis Buchenavia forest, -Mountain palm forest, -Cloud forest.
WWF Classification	Puerto Rican moist forests
Disturbance	-Hurricanes and Landslides
Forest cover	81% - 99%
Dominant tree species	Melastomaceae (16 species), Lauraceae (11 species), Myrtaceae (10 species)
Indicator plants	Tabonuco (Dacryodes excelsa), Ausubo (Manilkara bidentata), Montillo (Sloanea berteroana)

Toro Negro State Forest (Spanish: Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro) is one of the 21 forests that make up the public forests system in Puerto Rico. It is also Puerto Rico's highest cloud forest. It is located in the Cordillera Central region of the island and covers 8,204 cuerdas (7,968 acres; 3,224 ha; 32.24 km²), of mountains. Toro Negro's mountains have heights reaching up to 4,400 feet (1,300 m) and include Cerro de Punta,Cerro Jayuya and Cerro Rosa, the three highest peaks in the island. Nested among these mountains is Lake Guineo, the island's highest lake. The forest has 18 kilometers (11 mi) of trails, an observation tower, two natural swimming pools (Spanish:"charcos"), camping and picnic areas, nine rivers, and numerous creeks and waterfalls. The forest spans areas within the municipalities of Ponce, Jayuya, Orocovis, Ciales, and Juana Díaz, and consists of seven non-contiguous tracts of land. The largest contiguous segment of the forest is located in the municipalities of Ponce and Jayuya. Some 40% of the area of Toro Negro State Forest is located in Ponce's Barrio Anón.

When created in 1935 as part of the Caribbean National Forest, the Toro Negro Forest Reserve was managed by the United States government, first via the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration of the Department of the Interior (1935–1942) and later through the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture (1942–1970). Then, in 1970, the Federal Government exchanged with the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico the Toro Negro section of the Caribbean National Forest for some forested lands belonging to the Commonwealth and located adjacent to the much larger federal lands at Luquillo National Forest resulting in the creation at Luquillo of the current El Yunque National Forest. In 1970, the Government of Puerto Rico's Departmento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA) opened the Toro Negro Forest Reserve as a Commonwealth state forest and renamed it Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro (Toro Negro State Forest).