Assessment and Management of Hurricane Damaged Timberland

Alan Long, Rick Williams, Chris Demers, Jarek Nowak, Nicole Strong, Jib Davidson, and John Holzaepfel

Release Date: 10/29/2024

Agriculture

Abstract

Every year, southern timberland is damaged by hurricanes, ice storms, or tornados somewhere in the region. In response, a variety of information sources have been developed to address the many issues associated with such damage. This fact sheet summarizes information and guidelines from these sources, with a focus on Florida. It provides guidance to forestland owners for assessing severe storm damage, handling salvage operations and timber sales, minimizing potential impacts of other disasters after the storm, dealing with financial issues such as income tax casualty losses, and altering management plans. The references listed at the end may provide landowners with additional information relevant to their particular situation.

About this Publication

This document is SS-FOR 22, one of a series of the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date December 2004. Revised October 2018 and August 2024. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Funding for the production of this publication is provided by the USDA Forest Service through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Forestry.

About the Authors

Alan Long, former professor; Rick Williams, former assistant professor; Chris Demers, forest stewardship coordinator, UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences; Jarek Nowak, Utilization Specialist, Florida Forest Service; Nicole Strong, Extension specialist, Oregon State University; Jib Davidson, manager, Columbia Timber Company; and John Holzaepfel, forester, Natural Resources Planning Services; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.