The Category 5 hurricane that has been building in the Gulf of Mexico made landfall in Florida this week with wind speeds of around 195 km an hour, and storm surges bringing up to 4 m of water.
Multiple people have died from at least 19 supercell tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton in what has been described as a ‘massacre’ across the state.
[A supercell thunderstorm is one that generates rotating updrafts that can grow into tornadoes].
Tragedies abound with the state’s commercial and national parks forests severely damaged and, in many instances, flattened.
About 16 million tonnes of softwood and hardwood pulpwood and saw timber, valued at around US $315 million and harvested annually from Florida forests, have not been spared by Milton’s fury as lumber companies and park rangers grapple with assessing tree losses, damage to lumber operations, and the destruction of roads and bridges.
An average of 74 million trees are planted annually in Florida on 20,240 sq m of forest land. Annual forest growth is 1.92 times the harvest volume, indicating that current harvest levels have been sustainable.
The state has extensive natural and planted pine and hardwood forests used commercially for wood-building materials, consumer paper and packaging products, chemicals, and renewable biomass fuels. About 44% of forestlands is slash, loblolly, and longleaf pines, while 47% is hardwood or mixed hardwood and pine and 9% tropical hardwoods and other species.
Nearly two-thirds (66%) of Florida’s forests are privately owned by industry, corporations, families, or individuals, while 17% are state-owned, 16% are owned by the federal government, and 3% are owned by county and municipal governments. The state has 1843 employer business establishments in the sector, including 74 primary wood-using mills and 363 secondary wood and paper product manufacturers.
Available figures show more than 3 million metric tonnes of forest products, valued at US $1800 billion, are exported to international destinations from Florida ports. Also, the severe weather events directly affect National Wood Flooring Association members and their communities across multiple states, including Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.
The association is assessing the impact on wood flooring businesses, including manufacturing facilities, retail locations and ongoing projects. It has urged members in potentially affected regions to take necessary precautions, prioritise safety and implement emergency preparedness plans.
“The strength of our industry lies in our ability to come together and support one another,” Michael Martin, president and CEO, said. “We are committed to helping our members navigate these challenging times.”
Meanwhile, Florida law officials today confirmed at least 19 “active tornadoes” throughout the state, and more than 100 tornado warnings were issued throughout the day. They said multiple deaths had been reported, but it was still unclear how many people had died and that rescuers were still searching house to house.
“Regardless of the winds from the storm directly, we’ve already seen probably more tornado watches than we have ever seen,” a Florida sheriff said.
