ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2024, HURRICANE HELENE MADE LANDFALL AS THE STRONGEST-EVER HURRICANE OBSERVED IN THE BIG BEND REGION OF FLORIDA. IT CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGES, NOT ONLY TO HOMES AND BUSINESSES, BUT ALSO TO THE TIMBER INDUSTRY THAT OCCUPIES A LARGE AREA IN THE REGION AND IS A MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME IN SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. HOWEVER, ASIDE FROM THE IMMEDIATE DAMAGE TO THE PINE STANDS ALONG THE HURRICANE PATH, THE HURRICANE COULD TRIGGER OTHER DELAYED EFFECTS, SUCH AS PROLIFERATION OF DISEASE. THE TREES SUFFER WIND-RELATED STRESS AS WELL AS WOUNDING DUE TO LIMB LOSS OR DAMAGE FROM OBJECTS TRANSPORTED BY HIGH-SPEED WINDS. IDENTIFYING RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS, DISEASE INCIDENCE, AND OTHER STRESS FACTORS CAN PROVIDE LANDOWNERS WITH VALUABLE INFORMATION TO MITIGATE THE IMPACT OF HIGH WINDS AND WIND-INDUCED DISEASE OUTBREAKS IN PINES.PITCH CANKER IS A COMMON DISEASE IN PINES AND ONE OF THE MOST DAMAGING. IT IS CAUSED BY THE FUNGUSFUSARIUM CIRCINATUM,WHICH IS ALREADY ABUNDANT IN THE AREA. THE LESIONS CAUSED BY THE HURRICANE AND FLYING DEBRIS FACILITATE THE ENTRY OF THE FUNGUS, WHICH IN TURN MAY PRODUCE DISEASE OUTBREAKS SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER THE HURRICANE. KNOWING HOW THIS DISEASE OCCURS AND SPREADS IN THE MONTHS AFTER A HURRICANE WILL HELP TIMBER GROWERS, PRIVATE LANDOWNERS, AND CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS TO BETTER PREDICT POTENTIAL LOSSES, MITIGATE DAMAGE, CONDUCT SALVAGE OPERATIONS IN AFFECTED AREAS, AND DETERMINE SILVICULTURE REGIMES TO MAXIMIZE SURVIVAL IN RISK-PRONE AREAS. THERE ARE CURRENT MODELS THAT ESTIMATE DAMAGE TO TIMBER STANDS AFTER A HURRICANE, BUT IT DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE EFFECTS OF DISEASE MONTHS AFTER HURRICANE LANDFALL. THE DATA OBTAINED THROUGH THIS PROJECT WOULD ALLOW TO ADD THAT FEATURE INTO THESE MODELS. IN ADDITION, WIND DAMAGE CAN ALSO CAUSE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS IN TREES, SUCH AS HYDRAULIC DYSFUNCTION, WHICH REDUCES THE TRANSPORT OF WATER AND NUTRIENTS THROUGH THE TREE, WHICH COULD KILL GROWING TIPS OR BRANCHES.