Impacts of Hurricanes on the Forests of Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Hurricanes are common throughout the Caribbean (Alaka 1976; Vega and Binkley 1993), and they often cause extensive disturbance to forests (Walker et al. 1991; Yih et al. 1991; Smith et al. 1994; Zimmerman et al. 1994; Bellingham, Tanner, and Healley 1995; Bellingham et al. 1996; Foster, Fluet, and Bosse 1999; Stoddart 1963). Within the Caribbean, the Maya zone (southeastern Mexico, Belize, and portions of Guatemala) is an area that has been impacted by many hurricanes (Lopez 1983; Konrad 1996). In fact, the most severe hurricane ever recorded in the Caribbean (Hurricane Gilbert) occurred in the Maya zone (Whigham et al. 1991). Several recent studies have focused on the impacts of hurricanes in the Caribbean as well as the short-term and long-term recovery of forests