Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction in the southeastern United States, causing fatalities and major agricultural losses. One of the hardest-hit states was Georgia, significantly affecting its pecan industry.

Lenny Wells, Professor of Horticulture and Extension Horticulture Specialist for pecans at the University of Georgia, spoke with FreshFruitPortal.com about the state’s pecan industry, the losses from Hurricane Helene, and how tree hedge pruning helped save many trees.

Georgia is the largest pecan-producing state in the U.S., producing between 80 to 150 million pounds of pecans annually. Most of this production occurs in the southern half of the state, an area referred to as “the fall line” or “the coastal plain region of Georgia,” according to Wells.

“Most areas where pecans are grown are arid regions, and you usually see just two or three varieties,” Wells explained. “In Georgia, we grow about 20 varieties, some of which are older and being phased out as we plant newer varieties.”

Wells noted that historically, the industry has been somewhat protected from storms due to its location. By the time hurricanes reach the state, they typically weaken into tropical storms or depressions.

However, in recent years, the state has faced several significant storms, with the worst being Hurricane Michael in 2018—until Helene.

Hurricane Helene's impact

Regarding Hurricane Helene, Wells said it was much worse because it reached far into the state, including the Augusta area, where winds reached 90 to 100 miles per hour.

"That storm remained extremely powerful for a long way into our state, and as I mentioned we've got pecans planted all through that area," Wells explained. 

Wells noted that the industry sustained significant damage, primarily from trees being blown over. The pecan trees could not withstand the six to seven inches of rain and high winds.

The state lost many older trees, and pecan trees generally take five to six years to become harvest-ready, with full production typically beginning after eight to ten years.

"Any time you lose productive trees and have to go in and replant, it's going to be several years before you have any income coming off of the orchard," Wells explained. "I've seen growers over the past week that have lost nearly 100% of their producing trees." 

When asked if the trees could be replanted after falling, Wells said most of them cannot be saved.

"It depends on the age and the size of them," he explained. "The problem with this storm is most of the trees that were blown down were 30 years and up, and usually at that age, even if the tree is not blown down all the way and it's just leaning, say even 30 to 40 degrees, for it to have a chance you would have to remove I'd say 70% of the canopy of that tree, at least." 

He explains that most of the time you're better off cutting those trees out and starting over since you can't predict which ones will survive and which ones won't after replanting.

"If it's a five or six-year-old tree a lot of times you can salvage those, but with this storm, we didn't see a lot of trees in that age range blown over," he said. "It was the older producing trees that we lost." 

Measures to protect pecan trees against storms

Wells said that while certain management practices can help protect trees from strong storms, they cannot eliminate damage entirely but can minimize it.

One is to think about the pecan variety before planting. Trees that have a more sparse canopy and a more upright growth habit are less likely to catch strong winds. 

"Some varieties have a really big, thick canopy, and spread widely," Wells said. "Those types of trees are going to catch more wind and they're going to be the most likely to blow over." 

The main tactic, however, is hedge pruning. Wells noted that while this practice has been used in Georgia for just over a dozen years, it has been used in the western U.S. for 20 to 30 years.

"It was developed mainly to get sunlight into the orchard because as pecan trees grow, they start to shade each other," he explained. "So, with hedge pruning, what you do is remove all the limb growth beyond about six to seven feet from the trunk, all the way down the tree row, and top the tree at 30 to 40 feet."

He mentioned that the state began incorporating this tactic in their orchards when Hurricane Irma passed through. “After assessing the damage in both hedged and non-hedged plots, we found that the hedged plots had 60% less damage,” Wells said.

Morale has been low due to the damage, but after speaking with growers following the storm, Wells noted that many changed their minds about staying in the pecan industry.

Many, he said, will have to scale back but will continue growing, even though some have lost nearly 100% of their producing trees.

"They're a resilient bunch, and they've been doing this for a long time, they do it certainly because they make a living and make money, but they also do it because they love it, and want to continue doing it," he assured.