DISCLAIMER:This guide contains a compilation of information from multiple coastal States in the Southeastern United States. Therefore, some of the links and resources may not be relevant or even appropriate for your location. Information in this document was provided by USDA and various university Extension staff and based on shared experiences preparing for and recovering from hurricane impacts; however, individual producer situations will vary.

The purpose of this research was to identify and make available new and existing information to facilitate more effective response by individuals, organizations, and government entities when storms and other forms of catastrophic disturbance lead to unplanned influxes of downed timber and woody debris across the southeastern United States. To this end, this project explored attitudes and behaviors of stakeholders regarding their post disaster timber salvage experiences. Findings are reported from twelve focus group sessions with forestry decision makers, including landowners, loggers, foresters, and agency representatives. Data were analyzed using an iterative coding process that organized large quantities of text into fewer categories and identified emergent themes. Relationships between themes and categories were described within and across cases based on their concurrence, antecedents, or consequences. This technique was followed by a content analysis focusing on discovering underlying meanings and understanding explicit versus euphemistic terms. Findings center around economic limitations and opportunities, social networks in resource utilization, and diverse interpretations of the disaster event.As well, findings demonstrate how risk perceptions and disaster experience interact to construct social meanings for disaster and associated preparedness activities. Implications include value-added utilization options for woody storm debris that have been pursued in past storm events and lessons learned that can inform future decisions.