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Status of Mississippi gulf coast Live Oak trees after Hurricane Katrina

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Live oak trees, Quercus virginiana, have long been considered to be the symbol of the Old South. Part of the attraction of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts is the stately live oaks. These majestic live oaks have weathered many hurricanes in their >200 yr life span. Most recently, on 29 August 2005 Hurricane Katrina, with sustained winds exceeding 160 miles per hour and a storm surge of 30 feet in some areas challenged the fortitude of the live oaks on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (17). In the aftermath, the Mississippi Forestry Commission reported an estimated $2.4 billion in timber damage including estimated urban tree damage at $1.1 billion (6). With an individual tree valued at >$31,300, arguably the economic impact of conserving existing trees and replacing severely damaged stands is an essential part of the recovery effort along the Mississippi-Louisiana Gulf Coast. Also, recovery efforts following major disturbances such as hurricanes are essential. A part of the recovery effort is to determine how trees are impacted by such events and what factors are important to aid the recovery of these native stands.

Keywords

Quercus virginiana

Citation

Dobbs, Julie Ann; Held, David W.; Nebeker T. Evan. 2006. Status of Mississippi gulf coast Live Oak trees after Hurricane Katrina. SNA Research Conference - Volume 51
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/31537