RALEIGH, North Carolina – Thousands of trees damaged by Tropical Storm Helene will be repurposed under a North Carolina project developed through Interagency Recovery Coordination (IRC), a team of federal, state and local government, non-profits and faith-based organizations. More than 320,000 pounds of wood has already been removed. …Stages of the project include clearing debris and fallen trees from the North Carolina Arboretum south of Asheville.“This marks the transition from response to long-term recovery,” said Thomas J. McCool, federal coordinating officer for North Carolina’s disaster operation. …The project is already sending logs to a staging area to be sorted based on potential use. The wood will then be distributed to residents and communities for firewood, furniture material, mulch and more.