Hurricane Preparation and Recovery Guide for Southeast U.S. Pine Forest Landowners
A single hurricane can cause over $1 billion in forestry losses, and the intensity of hurricanes is increasing due to climate change. Therefore, the USDA Southeast Climate Hub developed the Hurricane Preparation and Recovery Guide for Pine Forest Landowners in the Southeast U.S. These guides will reduce economic loss and increase the reliability of wood and wood product supplies from the region.
Each year hurricanes cause billions of dollars in agricultural and forestry losses, and these losses grow as climate change continues to drive more severe hurricane seasons. Forest landowners need to minimize their losses and reduce their post-hurricane recovery time to remain profitable. Unfortunately, existing information on hurricane preparedness and recovery has tended to be scattered and inconsistent. Therefore, the USDA Southeast Climate Hub worked with university Extension, USDA Forest Service, and Farm Service Agency subject matter experts to develop a centralized resource and make current knowledge and best practices more accessible. The result is the Hurricane Preparation and Recovery Guide for Pine Forest Landowners in the Southeast U.S. The guide presents management practices designed to reduce economic loss and decrease the time to full recovery, and begins with steps that pine forest landowners can follow to build operational resilience to hurricane impacts (e.g., site and species selection, recordkeeping, professional relationships). The next section of the guide provides instruction for increasing personal safety and resilience to hurricane impacts in the long- and short-term. Finally, the guide provides post-hurricane recovery steps to maximize safety and speed up recovery. As climate change creates more frequent and severe hurricanes, the importance of resources such as this guide will only grow.
Pictured: Cover of the Hurricane Preparation and Recovery Guide for Pine Forest Landowners
Research Partners: SRS Forest Health Protection
Contact: Steve McNulty and Michael Gavazzi, USDA Southeast Climate Hub / Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center. Steven.Mcnulty@usda.gov. michael.gavazzi@usda.gov
