El Yunque National Forest

El Yunque National Forest is administered by the US Forest Service. El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest system. With 28,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in the forest system, but is also one of the most ecologically diverse. It is the largest protected area in the island of Puerto Rico, and is one of the oldest forest reserves in the western hemisphere. In December, 2005, the President signed into law the Caribbean  National Forest Act which designated 10,000 acres of the forest as the El Toro Wilderness Area, the first wilderness area to be designated in a tropical rainforest. As a wilderness area designated by an Act of Congress, El Toro is afforded the greatest level of protection available to a federally managed area.