Several tornadoes struck Northeast Texas in early November and caused an estimated $13 million in damages to more than 10,000 acres of timber.
The storms in North Texas on Nov. 4 resulted in seven tornadoes, five of which impacted timberland in Bowie, Cass, Henderson, Morris and Red River counties, according to a Texas A&M Forest Service assessment of the damage.
Texas A&M Forest Service foresters and technicians, as part of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, assessed the damage. They evaluated forest health, tree numbers, size and condition, along with satellite imagery from before and after the storms to estimate damage to timber.
Damaged trees were uprooted, snapped off below the crown or leaning significantly. Most of the damage to timber was on private property.
The tornados ranged from EF-1 to EF-3, and winds reached up to 150 miles per hour.
Estimated damages to the counties included:
- Bowie County – $2.7 million
- Cass County – $4.1 million
- Henderson County – $235,120
- Morris County – $2.1 million
- Red River County – $3.9 million
Dr. Aaron Stottlemyer, Texas A&M Forest Service Forest Analytics Department head, said the damage assessment is part of an effort to help local officials compile an accurate survey of storm impacts and recovery needs and could play a role in helping the counties secure disaster aid.
Stottlemyer said similar damage assessments, using a combination of satellite imagery and on-the-ground observations along with Forest Inventory and Analysis data, can be used to determine the toll of hurricanes, wildfires and other major events on trees across the state.
“We’ve developed protocols for rapidly assessing timber damage following major disasters that have become a model for similar efforts across the South,” Stottlemyer said. “Our agency performs this work as a service to the people of Texas.”
Click here for more details on the damage estimates.