Swietenia × aubrevilleana
Swietenia × aubrevilleana is a remarkable hybrid mahogany, combining the qualities of small-leaf mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni) and big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla). Line-planted within growing secondary forest at Las Casas de la Selva, Patillas, during the mid-1980s, many of these trees have now reached over three decades of growth, forming tall, straight trunks that rise elegantly through the rainforest canopy.
This hybrid was selected for its excellent timber potential, combining the superior form and vigor of its parent species with an ability to thrive under the challenging conditions of Puerto Rico’s steep mountain terrain. Today, 36-year-old specimens stand as living evidence that sustainable tropical forestry can coexist with biodiversity conservation. Surrounded by recovering rainforest, these slender giants demonstrate how carefully planned enrichment planting can produce valuable hardwood while maintaining the ecological integrity of the forest.
The story of these trees also helped inspire the creation of Puerto Rico Hardwoods (PRH). Long before PRH began recovering and milling urban and storm-felled timber, its founders gained firsthand experience in forestry, forest management, and wood utilization through the Las Casas de la Selva Sustainable Forestry Project in Patillas. The lessons learned among these growing mahoganies—about stewardship, long-term thinking, and the value of wood as a renewable resource—continue to shape PRH’s work today. (https://www.facebook.com/prhardwoods/)
