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48 North American Natural Resources: Timber and Forest Products

Forests of the Past Some of the best clues about what the forests of North America looked like hundreds of years ago come from descriptions written by early European settlers. This historical record sometimes provides clues about the conditions of the soils, Early Writings Not all of the early European explorers were specific about their observations of the forests in North America. For example, when Giovanni da Verrazano visited the coast of Maine in 1524, he noted, “nothing extraordinary except vast forests.” In 1796, another European who came to North America commented that “the most striking feature is an almost universal forest, starting at the Atlantic and thickening and enlarging to the heart of the country.” He said that he “scarcely passed, for three miles together through a tract of unwooded or cleared land.”

Mount Bigelow, West Peak, Maine.