Virgin forests, 1850

• Format: Still Image
• Language: unknown
• Subjects: Forest reserves > Oregon; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://oregondigital.org/catalog/oregondigital:df715r45x

This map shows the western stands of timber the same as they were two centuries earlier, for there was little more than mining going on in the West. But the East has already cut large areas of its timber; the north Atlantic coast is cleared and a great swath has been cut through the Ohio Valley, where there were hardwood forests that would be of immense value today. The settlers were still slashing and burning timber to clear farming land, with no attention paid to reforestation or future timber needs. This was the time of famous rail splitters. Notice the heavy stands of timber around Lakes Michigan and Superior and the almost unbroken timber of the South.