Clearing the forests

OTHER THAN the creation of cities, perhaps the single greatest factor in the making of the American landscape was the clearing of the forests that once covered nearly half the country. Clearing was the first step in the creation of new farmland. The abundant timber was a ready source of domestic fuel, without which life in the northern two-thirds of the country during the winter months would have been impossible. Wood was the source of fuel for industry and transportation, and it was the major building material for houses, bridges, fences, furniture, ships, and a host of other artifacts, which included even roads! The forest was ubiquitous and abundant (Fig. 8.1). Wood and wooden products were central to and thoroughly permeated American life, so that, in 1836, James Hall could truthfully say, “Well may ours be called a wooden country.” ¹