Fires can sometimes occur naturally, especially in pine forests. If anyone wanted to burn it for agriculture, this is the worse location, as pine soak up nutrients and the soil is left with very little for anything else to grow.
The land would have to be reconditioned and left idle for a year or so before anything can be grown.

This according to "Mother Nature" magazine.

Ron:

You're right, and it's actually worse. In stands of evergreens, the soil is rendered acidic due to the falling tree debris. And then it needs to be balanced in order for anything to grow. Just look at the soil around any cedar hedge, or below a large scotch pine. Empty. Barren. Nada.

However, (and you had to know there'd be a "however"), most fruit crops prefer acidic soils. So do potatoes and tomatoes. Further, bananas prefer a slightly acidic to neutral soil, ranging from 5.5 to 6.5 on the pH scale. Isn't the export of RD bananas currently targeted for improvement? Hmmm....

So, let's hope this is just a crime of contempt and/or vandalism, and not of opportunity creation.

I suppose we'll have to wait and see who owns the land and what they do with it in its current state.

Just sayin'....................

Don't know, but I think the land belongs to the state, as it is a "National Forest".

Thanks for the input. I didn't know fruit trees preferred acidic soil...Besides bananas, is this true for ALL trees, including_ tropical_ fruit trees?
Just asking. Eventually, I'd like to live out in the campo, (in DR), and plant all kinds of fruit trees. I wonder if pine needles could be beneficial for them.?
Determining soil PH, is something I'm not familiar with, but have to learn. Thanks for pointing this out.

Death penalty to these savages!

Every single time I have crossed between La Vega and Constanza I see clear cut burning so more crops can be planted. There are vast areas around Constanza without any trees and those that do have are to steep to log or they too would be gone. No one seems to understand anything about keeping the country clean and the rivers clear. There is so much trash simply dropped or thrown along the roads that end up downstream including waste from septic tanks. The country needs to educate it's people about the environment or there will be very little other than beach to bring in the tourist. Where are all the birds that should be in the mountains or any other small animals ? I know the power players hunt in the national forest from past articles. The beaches around the capitol are cesspools for trash

Don't worry, Danelo is planting another 6.7 million trees. There must be new plantations everywhere, but I haven't seen any. Hmmm.

charcoal maker anyone?