Hurricane Helene knocked down Georgia’s pecan industry as it was still shaking off the effects of Hurricane Michael six years ago.
Early estimates suggest nearly a quarter of the state’s pecan production — and with it, a significant chunk of the nation’s — stood in the path of Helene’s high winds and heavy rain.
“I thought Michael would be the worst storm Georgia’s pecan belt would face in most of our lifetimes. But Helene took the damage to a completely different level,” said Lenny Wells, a pecan expert with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, in an online update a few days after Helene whipped some areas with 100-mph winds.
A perennial leader in the nation’s pecan industry, Georgia is learning to live with — and fight back from — big storms supercharged by the warming climate. Federal disaster assistance and more climate-smart growing techniques are part of the solution, according to people in the industry.
