By james art 
The full extent of Hurricane Helena’s destructive path is beginning to emerge. South Carolina forestry officials confirmed Friday that the storm caused $200 million in damage to the logging industry.
It comes just weeks after officials in nearby Georgia warned that more than $1.2 billion worth of timber — and more than 24 million acres of forest — were tied up in the eye of the hurricane.
The latest estimate comes after South Carolina forest officials conducted aerial surveys of 850 areas early on Sept. 28, syncing data with field crews to determine volume loss. Total timber damage in 20 counties reached $83 million — not including infrastructure.
Commission staff also surveyed mill operators and other industry leaders to determine operating loss times, which averaged 2 1/2 days. This represents about 1% of all annual production – a total of $51 million.
Wood Central understands that Helene has also hit urban forests, using the estimated cost of wood waste disposal to come up with a forecast. Officials said three million cubic yards were to be dumped at $20 each, or a total of $60 million.
Hurricane Helena caused widespread destruction and death in Florida’s Big Bend region – the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Maria in 2017 and, next to Milton (last month), the deadliest to hit the US mainland since Katrina in 2005 Mr.
Along with Georgia and Alabama, South Carolina is home to the largest supply of timber in the United States – and is considered one of the world’s fastest growing areas for pulp, paper and, increasingly, engineered wood products.
