Hurricane Isaias destroyed or damaged more than 2.5 million tons of timber worth more than $33.5 million in southwest Alabama, the Alabama Forestry Commission said in a Facebook post, citing a preliminary aerial survey.
Commission pilots flew over Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties, the hardest-hit areas, on October 13 and found a damage zone about 36 miles long and up to 7 miles wide. The surveyed area covers 154,783 acres, including 64,795 acres of forestland and 40,805 acres of woody wetlands. The estimate combines the aerial observations with the latest Forest Inventory and Analysis data and will be checked by ground surveys.
"While we are thankful the damage was not as extensive as it could have been, these losses are still devastating for Alabama landowners," said Rick Oates, Alabama's state forester. "In a matter of hours, a storm can destroy what landowners have spent much of their lives building."
Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, on the evening of October 9 with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph and moved into Alabama overnight.