Hurricane recovery receives a boost
The Pisgah Conservancy photo
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission have entered into a $290 million Good Neighbor Agreement to support Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in Western North Carolina. The agreement — the largest of its kind for the Forest Service — will speed up recovery efforts, create new jobs, reduce overall costs and strengthen communities impacted by the hurricane.
This agreement empowers the commission to perform comprehensive recovery efforts across the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests during the next 10 years. The commission will remove storm debris, repair roads and recreation areas, manage invasive species, restore damaged watersheds and improve wildlife habitat.
Hurricane Helene had a tremendous impact on the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests, including tens of thousands of acres of blown-down timber, wide-spread damage to roads and infrastructure and wildlife habitat destruction, as well as leaving an unprecedented level of fuel for wildfires in the form of the downed trees and devastated vegetation.
While the majority of both the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests have reopened following Hurricane Helene, a significant amount of work remains to repair damage to roads, recreation areas, trails and watersheds.
