Gone With the Wind: Hurricane Helene Helps Researchers Track Pitch Canker Spread

UF researchers are mining Hurricane Helene data to better understand the spread of pitch canker and minimize the devastating disease’s impact on the timber industry, an important economic driver in the southeastern United States.

Their project, “Gone with the wind: hidden forest health consequences of Hurricane Helene,” is one of four projects funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agriculture Systems program, the agency announced last week.

Pitch canker is one of the most damaging diseases impacting natural and commercial pine forests around the world. It’s caused by Fusarium circinatum, a fungal pathogen that obstructs the movement of water through plant tissues, killing parts of the tree or the tree itself.

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