Timber damage trickles toward Taylor

Posted on November 2, 2018

By MARK VIOLA / Staff writer

Hurricane Michael was the strongest storm ever recorded to hit the Florida Panhandle, destroying communities and lives, leveling entire neighborhoods and leaving large swaths of land in several counties in ruins.

Further inland, the devastation continues, with some 2.8 million acres of timberland damaged or destroyed in Florida, which will have short-term and long-term effects on the forestry industry across North Florida and South Georgia.

According to an assessment conducted by the Florida Forest Service, 346,911 acres of forest land received “catastrophic” damage, meaning 95 percent of the timber was damaged — leaving vast plots of pines leveled. More than one million acres suffered “severe” damage, with 75 percent of the timber damaged, while an additional 1.4 million acres received “moderate” damage (15 percent).

PHOTO: Hurricane Michael caused billions of dollars in damage to the Florida Panhandle’s timber industry, and the devastation left behind will have a trickle down effect on the economy across the region for years to come.

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