Hurricane Hugo Effects on South Carolina's Forest Resource

Raymond M. Sheffield; Michael T. Thompson

doi:10.2737/SE-RP-284

Hurricane Hugo Effects on South Carolina's Forest Resource

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Raymond M. Sheffield, Michael T. Thompson

Year:

1992

Type:

Research Paper

Station:

Southern Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2737/SE-RP-284

Source:

Res. Pap. SE-284. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station. 60 p.

Download PDF (4.3 MB)

Cite

Abstract

Hurricane Hugo struck South Carolina in September 1989 causing extensive mortality and damage to forest stands in 23 counties. The Forest Inventory and Analysis Work Unit at the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station conducted a special inventory of the damaged area in 1990. This Paper presents the results of that inventory and documents procedures used in the inventory and analysis. More than 4.5 million acres of timberland were significantly damaged. Volume of softwood growing stock was reduced by 21 percent with nearly one-third of the remaining volume damagedto some degree. Hardwoods sustained less immediate loss-6 percent-but one-third of the remaining hardwoods was damaged. Hurricane Hugo added more than 1 million acres to South Carolina's backlog of acreage needing regeneration.

Keywords

Forest inventory, forest-damage assessments, tree-damage classifications, wind damage

Citation

Sheffield, Raymond M.; Thompson, Michael T. 1992. Hurricane Hugo Effects on South Carolina''s Forest Resource. Res. Pap. SE-284. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station. 60 p.