Ricardo J. Santiago-García,^* Sandra Molina Colón,^** Phillip Sollins,^*** Skip J. Van Bloem<sup>****


*</sup>Ricardo J. Santiago-García is a graduate student in the Agronomy program at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. His research is focused on the role of nurse trees in improving reforestation success. He plans to continue to use basic ecological science in practical applications for environmental management. His address: Department of Agronomy and Soils, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, PO Box 9030, Mayaguez, PR 00681. E-mail: aquamanpr@gmail.com
^**Sandra Molina Colón is the Coordinator of the Environmental Sciences Program and Professor of Biology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Her research has explained the long term effects of land use practices in Puerto Rican dry forests. From this experience, she has become a leading voice for local conservation of the few remaining mature dry forests. Her address: Programa de Ciencias Ambientales Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico 2250, Las Américas Suite 606, Ponce, PR 00717-0777. E-mail: smolinacolon@email.pucpr.edu
^***Phillip Sollins is Professor Emeritus from the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University. He has a long and distinguished research career with important contributions to our understanding of soil carbon, soil chemistry, and forest-soil feedbacks. He maintains an active research program while splitting his time between Oregon and Puerto Rico. His address: Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331. E-mail: phil.sollins@oregonstate.edu
^****Skip J. Van Bloem is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Soils at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Skip is an ecologist whose research has focused on nutrient cycling and physiological responses to disturbance, and how these responses influence ecosystem structure. His interests include how natural and manmade disturbances occurring at different periods interact on ecosystem structure and stability. His address: Department of Agronomy and Soils, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez PO Box 9030, Mayaguez, PR 00681. E-mail: svanbloem@uprm.edu