Helene Hammered Private Timberlands

Based on preliminary damage assessments conducted by the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture, the Georgia Forestry Commission, and the University of Georgia, Hurricane Helene left behind an estimated $6.46 billion in damage to Georgia’s agriculture and forestry industries, more than three times the damage from Hurricane Michael in 2018.

The 60-100 mile per hour winds that raged from Valdosta to Augusta took a heavy toll mostly on privately owned timberlands. The latest timber loss estimates from the Georgia Forestry Commission and the UGA Warnell School of Forestry state 8.8 million acres of timber were ravaged. The impact on one of Georgia’s top five commodities, timber, is expected to be $1.28 billion.