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BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. — North Carolina Forest Service personnel posted on social media on Friday that they have completed an aerial forestland damage assessment following Hurricane Helene, and the damage is extensive.
The Forest Service reports an estimated 822,000 acres of timberland were damaged during the storm, which resulted in an estimated loss of $214 million on all N.C. forest lands.
The Forest Service said damage distribution between land ownership was estimated to be as follows:
- 78% private (private individuals, corporations, and other ownerships).
- 21% public (U.S. Forest Service and other public ownerships).
- 1% reserved lands (reserved areas such as park lands).
The heaviest damage was confined to a six-county area, with Buncombe and McDowell counties being at the center of this area, the Forest Service said in the post.
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