Florida Forests Flattened by Hurricane Michael, Now Fire Risk Looms | NBC Left Field

What happens to a forestry community in the aftermath of a disaster? Hurricane Michael - a Category 5 storm - wiped out more than $1 billion worth of timber in the Florida Panhandle when it struck in October 2018, and nearly eight months later the community is still waiting for federal assistance to clean up and replant. The dead trees also mean that the panhandle is facing heightened wildfire risk, as a new hurricane season arrives.

Robby Roberts, a panhandle resident, was playing the long game when he planted his small plot of trees nearly 20 years ago, hoping it would provide him income in his later years. After Hurricane Michael ravaged his land, Roberts, a retiree, was able to sell half his timber for one ninth of the profit that he was expecting. The other half of what was to be his retirement plan now lies on the ground rotting. Roberts, like many other small land owners in the region, must now decide whether to reinvest in a crop that will take 20 years to see a return.

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Video journalist
Ali Withers

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