Flooding
Eastern NC Floodplain Defoliation
SC floodplain insect defoliation
Delayed planting, Spring 2019
Hurricane Michael storms Florida's panhandle
The destructive impacts of Category 4 Hurricane Michael on the forests of northwest Florida were captured by ForWarn II's routinely produced Early Detect product one week after the event. The stark pattern of greatest damage in red and orange consists of a 50 km-wide swath that stretches from near the track of the hurricane's eye to the Apalachicola River which likely had reduced greenness from both wind damage and flooding.
Hurricane Florence soaks the South
Hurricane impacts to forests can vary greatly depending on the qualities of the storm. Hurricane Florence stood out for its slow speed and heavy rainfall to the Carolinas, while Hurricane Michael, that crossed Florida's panhandle just a few weeks later in 2018, was a powerful wind-event that passed relatively quickly. ForWarn II's near-real-time capabilities reveal the initial storm effects, then in concert with higher resolution imagery and ancillary data assessments can discriminate among water and wind impacts more precisely.
Hurricane Matthew flooding in SE Coastal Plain
ForWarn has detected bottomland areas of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida that were affected by Hurricane Matthew in October, 2016. The data shows the intensity of the wetland flooding.
Defoliation in NC's Roanoke River Bottomland Forests
The Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria) is a widespread native defoliator of deciduous forests in the Eastern US. While host trees differ regionally, the insect prefers sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), tupelo gum, black gum (Nyssa spp.) and species of oak (Quercus spp.) in the bottomland forests of North Carolina's Coastal Plain.
The larvae hatch in early spring as the tree buds swell, then larvae defoliate emerging and growing leaves in April and early May. After a few weeks, caterpillars form pupae, then adults emerge in late May.
Wetland Flooding in Columbia, SC
ForWarn has detected anomalies in Columbia, South Carolina in wetlands and forested lands. Heavy rains caused flooding in the area however, this is likely not a sign of damage.
Flooding in Southeast LA
ForWarn has potentially detected a multiple factored defoliation event in wetlands of southeast Louisiana. Identified in September 2015, rerouted water from Mississippi river caused flooding and created stress defoliation from trees as well as inundated the understory. The flood also may have caused defoliating insects to infest the area, decreasing vegetation greenness in the overstory.
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