Quantifying mangrove canopy regrowth and recovery after Hurricane Irma with large-scale repeat airborne lidar in the Florida Everglades

•Impact of Hurricane Irma on mangrove canopy height was assessed with large scale repeat airborne lidar.•Airborne lidar was collected before, 3-months, 2.5 years after the storm, representing of the largest repeat lidar surveys in mangrove forests to date.•Only 38.1 % of mangroves had recovered to pre-storm canopy height 2.5 years post-hurricane.•Canopy structure showed little or no recovery in highly damaged regions post-Irma.•Recovery varied by resilience classes, species composition, and canopy height.