| |
Strong storms and hurricanes are a fact of
life in Florida. When preparing for the next
storm event, timberland owners should also plan for
and be ready to respond to timber damage on their
property. Past hurricane seasons have shown that forest
resources can be severely damaged by hurricanes and
other casualty events. To best prepare landowners
for a rapid recovery from forest resource disasters,
the following information should be included in the
management considerations of any forested property.
Forest landowners were especially hard-hit in
in the 2004 hurricane season. An estimated 2.3
million acres of forests were destroyed or severely
damaged (Florida Forestry Association).
|
• Statewide
Timber Damage Summary for 2004 Hurricanes (pdf,
14k)
• FAQs
about Timber Casualty Losses (pdf, 61k)
County Foresters Can Help
Do you have questions regarding storm damaged timber?
Contact your local County Forester for professional
forestry advice. They can make specific recommendations
pertaining to the current and future management of
your property. Find your County Forester.
Evaluating Storm Damaged Trees
Efforts should be concentrated on evaluating trees
and forest stands as soon as possible, and then harvesting
them, if necessary. The Division of Forestry strongly
recommends that landowners seek the help of a professional
forester during this process.
Forest Health Issues
Trees subjected to environmental stresses or injuries
are usually more vulnerable to damage caused by
insects and diseases. Storm damaged trees are
prime targets for a host of destructive insects
and diseases. Unfortunately, insect pests, as
well as certain tree pathogens (especially fungi),
are actually better at recognizing trees under
stress than most tree enthusiasts. As a result,
stressed trees may go completely unnoticed until
they are "suddenly" damaged or killed
by insects or diseases. Some insects are actually
attracted to stressed trees by chemical signals
(odors) released into the air by trees in response
to stress. It is only when trees are seriously
injured or stressed that they lose their natural
ability to ward off infections by these organisms
and fall victim to the attack. Examine your trees
often for the appearance of any unusual symptoms.
Visit the Forest Health Section for more help.
|
Salvage Your Timber
It may be difficult to sell your timber due
to the massive amount of damaged wood on the
market. In addition, prices will be depressed
due to the difficult logging conditions, which
drastically reduce loggers’ productivity.
Trees that can be sold for veneer and sawtimber
products should be harvested first. After 4-6
weeks, a blue stain fungus will degrade the
quality of these high-valued trees and they
will have to be sold for pulpwood. Trees being
sold for pulpwood should be removed within 8-12
months.
Find consulting foresters and technicians, urban
forestry consultants, prescribed burning consultants
and wildlife consultants for Florida in the
Forest Services Vendor Database (FSVD)
|
Reforestation
The process of reforestation should involve careful
planning, starting when you harvest your timber. The
manner in which your timber is harvested will affect
the timing, and potential methods of site preparation
and planting. There may be a federal Forestry
and Wildlife Cost Share Program available to help
you with the costs of reforestation.
* NOTE: Information in this article
obtained from the Florida Division of Forestry (FDACS)
|
