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One year after Hurricane Helene devastated the Appalachians, the Forest Service reflects on the storm and looks forward to continued recovery.

On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in southwestern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane with a peak sustained windspeed of 140 mph. After inundating Florida with storm surge, Helene swept north into Georgia and then the Carolinas, before stalling over Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia and eventually dissipating.

Disaster recovery can be a lengthy, complex process, especially when it comes to procurement. Thanks to dedication and foresight prior to the storm, the National Forests in North Carolina were able to roll out repairs at a much faster rate than anticipated.

When a tornado swept through the Sabine National Forest in March 2025, it left behind a trail of broken trees, downed limbs and hundreds of acres of damaged timber. But in just 28 days, the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,  turned destruction into opportunity by mobilizing resources, assessing the damage and awarding two salvage stewardship sales to help restore forest health and support local communities.

Mass timber is transforming how America builds—but supply hasn’t kept pace with demand. A gap in domestic manufacturing has slowed widespread adoption, leaving many developers with few options beyond overseas suppliers or traditional steel and concrete.

Tropical storms and hurricanes are some of the most costly and wide-reaching natural disasters in the United States. In 2024, there were 18 named storms that killed 437 people and caused an estimated $130 billion in damage. Those damages included major impacts to Forest Service employees where they live and work.

“Made in the USA: Supporting American manufacturing jobs and promoting sustainable forest management” —a series that spotlights how Wood Innovations Program grant recipients are putting Americans to work and ensuring healthy forests of the future.  

This article was developed in collaboration with Matt Bonsall of Wood and Co.  

Longleaf pine restoration is complex and requires collaboration between Tribal Nations, landowners, government agencies and conservation organizations. For Native American communities, the forest has long provided the means for economic stability and growth.

When Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern United States in late September 2024, its destruction spared neither national forests nor members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service workforce living in its path. The national forests in North Carolina were among the worst impacted. And like so many in western North Carolina, Forest Service employees found themselves without power, water or connectivity; and some even suffered damaged homes.

A celebration more than 50 years in the making, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced the downlisting of the red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened, under the Endangered Species Act.

Legend has it that explorer Ponce de León set sail to Florida in 1513, leading a Spanish quest for gold and riches. But the legend also follows tales of seeking sacred, restorative waters known as the ‘fountain of youth.’

The conquistador would eventually land upon the coast of Florida near what is known today as St. Augustine. And though he never found any ‘fountain of youth,’ Florida is home to approximately 1,000 artesian springs offering a modern-day fountain of youth that heals the soul through the miraculous touch of the great outdoors.

Forest Service employees deploy, clearing downed trees and debris to reopen roads and communication lines across Region 8

In the summer of 2023, East Texas experienced historic wildfire activity, due to drought conditions and record-breaking high temperatures. Fire management professionals on the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas responded to 58 wildfires in a two-month period.  

Last summer, a military veteran seeking solace experienced tranquility in an unexpected way. He visited the Bankhead National Forest in Alabama for a guided tour to experience “forest bathing.” 

Elk have been a staple at Kentucky’s Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area for nearly three decades. Many of the area’s 1.8 million visitors per year come to see the herd at the Elk and Bison Prairie.

That herd is now a little smaller thanks to an agreement with the State of West Virginia, which received 43 elk from the recreation area to repopulate the species in the Mountain State.