In some federally owned areas of the Southern Appalachians, recovery will take years.
As most readers know from extensive media coverage last fall, Hurricane Helene hit the Blue Ridge region hard, causing widespread power outages, water shortages, road and building damage, and in North Carolina 102 people were reported killed as of mid-November. The storm also took a toll on public lands, closing the Blue Ridge Parkway, Appalachian Trail and scores of hiking trails and other outdoor recreation facilities.
But what about the hurricane’s impact to the mountain ecosystems? We checked in with the region’s national parks and forests and here’s what we learned.
Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in North Carolina. Helene caused moderate to catastrophic damage to more than 187,000 acres (about 20% of the two forests combined), including 117,000 acres of vegetation loss. Most damage was in the Pisgah, where two ranger districts remained closed to visitors as of mid-November.
Such a large impact to the ecosystem can increase the threat of wildfire, loss of vital wildlife habitat, negative impacts on watershed health and better chance for invasive species to thrive, the agency said. “Everyone in western North Carolina is passionate about our public lands, and by working with our community of partners, from local and state agencies to nonprofits, we will soon begin mapping our path toward long-term recovery.”
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. From a biological perspective, Helene did not adversely affect the park’s resurgent elk population, said Dave Barak, public affairs specialist. The Big Creek and Cataloochee Creek watersheds were the only two with major flood damage; Cataloochee had an all-time high flow of 9 ½ feet. The full extent of the impact to fish populations won’t be known until summer, but the park doesn’t anticipate long-term harm based on previous major events, he said.
Shenandoah National Park. Evan Childress, Chief of Natural and Cultural Resources, noted several impacts from the “one-two punch” of Hurricane Debbie during a drought in August (15 inches in 24 hours) and Helene a month later. A stream restoration project from 2006 on Hogcamp Branch, which drains a globally rare wetland, was washed out. He also saw a dramatic drop in brook trout and other fish between 50% and 80% at several sites. The floodwaters scoured the streams, leaving rocks a bright white, bereft of the macroinvertebrates that provide food for other species.
“Streams are pretty resilient,” Childress said, noting that insects will probably recover in a year, and fish a couple years more. “With these steep mountain streams, hurricanes are a normal part of the system, but the concern is the frequency, if the system doesn’t have time for recovery before another major hit.”
Blue Ridge Parkway. Tens of thousands of trees fell over roads and trails, and throughout the forest. Numerous slope failures and landslides damaged the parkway and eroded streambanks, which can harm aquatic life due to sedimentation. Officials were still assessing the damage in November.
The story above first appeared in our January / February 2025 issue.
