In September 2022, Hurricane Ian struck peninsular Florida with extensive wind, flood, and storm surge impacts, causing significant damage to the urban forest. While making landfall as a category four hurricane with sustained winds of 150 MPH, this storm had significant and clear direct impacts on the urban tree canopy due to wind damage on the southwest coast of Florida. However, the impacts of this storm spread much further with flooding caused by excessive rain (between five and 20 inches, depending on specific location) and severe erosion in many locations. Hurricane Ian impacted most of peninsular Florida, with urban forest damage stretching from Fort Myers to Jacksonville. 

This program aims to restore and enhance urban forests across 29 counties in Florida’s peninsular region that suffered damage from Hurricane Ian. Its central objective is to strengthen the resilience of these forests against future storms.