The purpose of a public meeting at the Gardendale Civic Center Thursday night by the Alabama Forest Recovery Task Force (AFRTF.  the meeting was to provide owners of land with large amounts of forestry on it with information about resources for restoring forestland, particularly forestland heavily damaged by the April 27 tornadoes.

Despite large crowds in similar meetings in Tuscaloosa and Cullman, only a handful of people showed up to the Gardendale meeting.

The meeting hosted several speakers, each talking about a different aspect of forest recovery. Safety tips, government programs and assistance, and ways to reduce risks from wildfire and insect or disease outbreaks were all topics the AFRTF members spoke of, but all the members stressed the importance of consulting with professional foresters; professional foresters can help in evaluating timber damage.

Alabama Forestry Commission data shows that storms destroyed  tornado destroyed 8,813 acres of forest in Jefferson County alone. There were more than 550,000 tons of trees downed, valued at $12.1 million.

There will be three more meetings with presentations similar or identical to the Gardendale meeting: Pell City on July 25, Dadeville on July 26 and Livingston on July 28. For more information about the meetings or to find resources for contacting professional foresters, visit www.forestry.state.al.us or www.alabamaforestrecovery.com.