Chapter IV. 



THE DISTEIBUTION" AND COMPOSITION OF THE NOETH 

 AMEEICAN FOEESTS. 



The forests of the United States, ]\Iap, Fi,^-. 44, may be conveni- 

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

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

 treeless plains which are ^vest of the ^Mississippi Eiver, and east of 

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

 ern Texas.' 



The Eastern Forest once consisted of an almost unljroken mass, 

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

 fers, (2) tlie southern belt of conifers, and (3) the great deciduous 

 (hardwood) forest lying between these two. 



( 1 ) TJie northern belt of conifers or '"Xoi-th Woods'' extended 

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

 Appalachians. It reappeared again in northern jNIichigan, Wiscon- 

 sin and Minnesota. White pine, Fig. 4.5, was the characteristic tree 

 in the eastern part of this lielt, Iho spruce was common. Fig. 56, p. 

 2in, and white and Norway pine and hcndoelv distinguished it in the 

 western part. Altho the more ^-aluable timber, especially the pine, 

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

 spruce, second growth pine, heiulock and some hardwood. 



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

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

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



' ORIflTXAL FOREST RE:jI)XS O;' THE trxn'El) STATES. 



Area Area 



Thous'inil acres Percent 



Nortliern forest 1 ''S.<)?>S 8.4 



Hardwood forest 3:28,183 17.3 



Southern forest 249.669 13.1 



Rockv Mountains forest 15.5.014 8.1 



Pacific forest 121,356 6.4 



Treeless area 8S7,787 46.7 



Total land area 1.900.947 100.0 



197 



