CHAPTER IV. 



THE DISTEIBUTION AND COMPOSITION OF THE NOETH 

 AMEEICAN FOEESTS. 



The forests of the United States, Map, Fig. 44, may be conveni- 

 ently divided into two great regions, the Eastern or Atlantic Forest, 

 and the Western or Pacific Forest. These are separated by the great 

 treeless plains which are west of the Mississippi Eiver, and east of 

 the Eocky Mountains, and which extend from North Dakota to west- 

 ern Texas. 1 



The Eastern Forest once consisted of an almost unbroken mass, 

 lying in three quite distinct regions, (1) the northern belt of coni- 

 fers, (2) the southern belt of conifer?, and (3) the great deciduous 

 (hardwood) forest lying between these two. 



(1) The northern belt of conifers or "North Woods'' extended 

 thru northern New England and New York and ran south along the 

 Appalachians. It reappeared again in northern Michigan, Wiscon- 

 sin and Minnesota. White pine, Fig. 45, was the characteristic tree 

 in the eastern part of this belt, tho spruce was common, Fig. 56, p. 

 213, and white and Norway pine and hemlock distinguished it in the 

 western part. Altho the more valuable timber, especially the pine, 

 has been cut out, it still remains a largely unbroken forest mainly of 

 spruce, second growth pine, hemlock and some hardwood. 



(2) The southern pine forest formerly extended from the Poto- 

 mac Eiver in a belt from one to two hundred miles wide along the 

 Atlantic coast, across the Florida peninsula, and along the gulf of 



1 ORIGINAL FOREST UEHIDXS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Area Area 



Thousand acres Percent 



Northern forest 158.938 8.4 



Hardwood forest 328,183 17.3 



Southern forest 249.660 13.1 



Rocky Mountains forest 155,014 8.1 



Pacific forest 121,356 6.4 



Treeless area . ..887,787 46.7 



Total land area 1,900,947 100.0 



197 



