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By Bob Weaver
Widespread areas of north-central West Virginia's woodlands have been devastated by the recent ice storm, according to
the West Virginia Division of Forestry. A surveillance team says it looks more like tornado damage than an ice storm.
Some hillsides in Calhoun now look like they are covered with matchstick trees.
During the peak of the storm, local residents could hear twenty or more trees splitting or going down in one minute.
The weight from freezing ice, an inch or more, toppled trees, broke limbs and snapped the tops. In Calhoun alone, tens of
thousands of trees have been affected. Many trees were uprooted.
The storm, which downed power and phone lines, cut a swath through the middle of Calhoun, with areas in the northern and
southern sections escaping serious damage.
"Based on the conversations I've had and the damage I've seen, I'd say this may be one of the state's more significant
events," said State Forester Randy Dye.
A preliminary aerial survey indicated that the most severe damage took place in Jackson, Roane, Upshur and Webster
counties, with serious damage in Braxton, Calhoun, Gilmer, Lewis, Mason and Wirt counties. An aerial mapping survey of
all 10 counties is expected to be complete this week, according to the agency. .
Dye said "The severity of damage varied a lot in those 10 counties," with some hillsides escaping damage while neighboring
slopes had nearly all the treetops snapped.
In some areas, younger trees experienced the most damage, while in others "mature trees were laid over and the younger
ones were left standing," according to Dye.
Conifer trees, like Virginia pines or white pines, were more prone.
Among hardwood species, yellow poplar and maple were the hardest hit, said Dye.
Where trees were uprooted, landowners have three to four months to sell downed trees before warm weather and higher
humidity bring the risk of insect and disease damage, Dye said. Trees that were heavily damaged but are still standing should
be harvested within the next year.
Trees that lean, have broken limbs or have less than 50 percent damage to their crowns have a good chance of fully
recovering
Trees with 50 percent to 75 percent crown loss can be kept, but may develop value-decreasing stain and decay. Trees with
more than 75 percent crown damage should be harvested within one year to avoid disease and insect infestations.
The state forester encouraged landowners to seek advice either from Division of Forestry foresters or private forestry
consultants before selling their storm-damaged timber.
Landowners marketing timber from their own property may be eligible for a timber harvesting exemption, freeing them from a
requirement to use only a state-licensed logging operator. They may also be eligible to write off a portion of their
storm-damaged timber losses on their 2003 income taxes, according to Dye.
Some experts believe the spring forest fire season will not be bad, because of lots of moisture, but the timber and limbs will
provide fuel. The intensity of forest fires may increase, with efforts to put the fires out becoming more difficult. Fire
departments may have their hands full in the next few years.
See earlier stories in Hur Herald regarding storm and damage.
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