Hurricane Helene Timber Salvage Harvesting begins along Roads 2 and F
Drivers coming through the Aiken Barricade and traveling along Roads 2 and F will begin to see timber harvesting operations before and after passing the U.S. Forest Service compound. These operations are part of the ongoing Hurricane Helene recovery efforts of forested lands on the Savannah River Site. Across the entire site, approximately 2,500-acres of timber was damaged by the hurricane.
With the recovery process nearing completion, the USFS is now in a race to harvest as much damaged and down timber as possible before the wood loses any more value. Multiple salvage sales are taking place across the site, but the most visible sale areas to site employees will be on Road 2 and Road F. Along Road 2, 465-acres will be salvage harvested; on Road F, that number is 134.
Salvage harvests typically take more time to prepare for sale than traditional timber harvests. Mitigating safety concerns entering the area, clearing access roads, and modifying pre-existing sales add additional steps to complete before pushing advertised sales to prospective bidders. Couple that with the fact that not every typical harvester can handle these operations' complexity and range of product value, makes successful salvage sales more challenging.
Revenue generated from salvage sales is typically less than that from a traditional timber harvest, as much of the wood must be chipped and converted into biofuel or other forest products. Demand for this type of product can be limited at times. Following Hurricane Helene, a large number of salvage operations have flooded the market, further reducing potential revenues from sales.
Salvage operations also benefit the ecosystem. Leaving dead and down trees, as well as splintered ones, standing throughout the area increases the risk of a catastrophic wildfire. In addition to reducing the threat of a wildfire, removing the debris will improve forest health and allow for some natural regeneration of trees, native plants, and shrubs. It can also create wildlife corridors in areas where they may not have existed before.
"Passersby to these areas may see them as unsightly for some time," said USDA Forest Service Public Affairs Specialist Joe Orosz. "But it's important to remember that there is a huge difference in how the scale of time is viewed between trees versus employees on the site. Many stands around the site are anywhere from 40-50 years old and already have been harvested in the past. What may seem unsightly now will look different in 15-20 years."
Sustainable forestry practices, such as planting, thinning, harvesting, and replanting trees, are one reason forests on Savannah River Site look as healthy as they do. This year alone, the Forest Service will plant over 500,000 trees in areas previously harvested on-site. Because enough healthy standing trees remain in the salvage areas along Road 2 and F, only 143 acres of the roughly 600 being harvested will need replanting in the future.
Salvage harvesting operations along the two roads is expected to continue through May 2025. Additional salvage harvests are planned for other hurricane damaged areas of the site and for the Crackerneck Wildlife Management Area and Ecological Reserve.
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