Staff Reports

DRY BRANCH — Two weeks after Hurricane Helene’s ravaging trek through Georgia, new reports detail its staggering blow to private landowners and the state’s valuable forest resource. A Georgia Forestry Commission assessment shows the storm traversed 8.9 million acres of forestland, with a total timber resource impact of $1.28 billion.

“Our GFC sawyers and bulldozer crews have been responding to this disaster since it made landfall a couple of weeks ago,” said Georgia Forestry Commission Director John Sabo. “Once a large portion of infrastructure was improved, foresters moved from logistical support of GFC’s crews to conduct a rapid timber damage assessment. The assessment highlights the effects Hurricane Helene had, from environmental impacts to economic and social implications for communities reliant on Georgia’s forests.”

According to the report, private forested land accounted for 88% of the impacted land ownership within the hurricane’s path. Wind graphics from Peachtree City National Weather Service indicated wind speeds from 60-100 miles per hour from Valdosta to Augusta.

A mobile data collection application was utilized by GFC foresters to gather more than 2,800 field observations from Valdosta to Augusta. The observations detailed species, product class, percent damage, and location to make up damage intensity levels. Timber damage was classified as catastrophic, moderate, and light.

“In addition to the economic impact to our private forest landowners, many of whom depend on timberland for the livelihoods of their families, Georgia’s forestlands provide tremendous ecosystem services to Georgians from Savannah to Valdosta to Atlanta and everywhere in between,” said Sabo. “Clean air, clean water, recreation, wildlife habitat. … I know that all Georgians support landowners being able to restore and replant their forestlands and to keep our working forests working.”

When finalized, the full Hurricane Helene Forestland Damage Assessment will be posted at www.gatrees.org.