Caribbean pine

A pine of the hot tropics – it forms the vast savannas of the Mosquitia, the largest pine savannas in Central America.

A fast-growing pine reaching 30–40 m, with a straight trunk and long needles usually in bundles of three. Nicaragua has the Honduran variety, adapted to the hot, humid climate of the lowlands and to poor, sandy soils. It forms open stands on grassy savannas regularly swept by fires, which it withstands thanks to its thick bark. It is one of the most widely planted tree species in tropical plantations worldwide.

Significance in the country

The pine savannas around Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas) and Waspam are the characteristic landscape of the Miskito people’s homeland. These forests were damaged by Hurricane Felix (2007) and Hurricanes Eta and Iota (2020), and the pine was an important local source of timber and resin.

Where it grows

The savannas of the Mosquitia in the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region – mainly around Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas), Waspam and Rosita.

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