Helene damages over 800,000 acres of North Carolina forests

RALEIGH, N.C — The extensive damage from Hurricane Helene is estimated to reach well into the tens of billions. A significant portion of the amount will come from the widespread loss of trees and forest land.The North Carolina Forest Service has completed an aerial damage assessment of forest lands across western North Carolina and the losses are staggering.Their surveyors estimate 822,000 acres of timberland were damaged or destroyed across more than a dozen counties during Helene, with McDowell County hit particularly hard.All told, the N.C. Forest Service estimates damage to the state’s timber at $214 million.Overall damage from Helene likely makes it the costliest storm in state history, according to Gov. Roy Cooper. He said as of late October, the total damage estimates so far are at $53 billion.This figure puts Hurricane Helene as the 10th-costliest weather disaster in the U.S. since 1980, according to NOAA, but that figure does not include damage from other nearby states.