Hurricane Helene Restoration

Hurricane Helene had a tremendous impact to the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests, including tens of thousands of acres of blown-down timber, thousands of landslides, widespread damage to roads and infrastructure, wildlife habitat destruction, as well as leaving an unprecedented level of fuel for wildfires from downed trees. While much of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests have reopened, a significant amount of work remains to repair damage to roads, hunter and angler access, recreation areas, trails, watersheds and wildlife habitats.

In September 2025, the USDA Forest Service (FS) and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) entered into a Good Neighbor Agreement for a cooperative effort to conduct disaster recovery and restoration activities on specified National Forest and associated lands impacted by Hurricane Helene. The agreement, “Hurricane Helene Disaster Recovery Good Neighbor Agreement with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission,” details actions needed to protect, restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitat and other shared resources as well as to reduce the risks from future natural disasters and restore recreation areas for public. The agreement made available $290 million to NCWRC over a period of 10 years to accomplish the work.

In response to the ecological damage, NCWRC has established a time-limited division to lead a comprehensive, multi-year effort focused on ecological stabilization, species recovery and long-term resilience. The Helene Restoration Division is responsible for the implementation of ecological restoration and infrastructure recovery across aquatic species, terrestrial species, habitat, genetics, infrastructure and invasive species programs in close coordination with the FS and other partners.