CHAPTER V. 



PRESENT FOREST CONDITIONS. 



Virgin Forest. 



1835. — "West of the AUeghanies a large portion of the country 

 must forever remain in its primitive f orest. 6^a^e^- 

 teer of Virginia and the District of Columbia, hy Joseph 

 Martin. 



1870.— "At least 10,000,000 acres are still in all the vigor and 

 freshness of original growth." — The West Virginia 

 Hand Book and Immigrants' Guide, hy J. H. Diss 

 Debar. 



1876.— "Between 9,000,000 and 10,000,000 acres are in the ori- 

 ginal forest." — Resources of West Virginia, hy If. F. 

 Maury and Wm. M. Fontaine. 



1893. — "Nearly or quite one-half of the State is still uficleared, 

 and by far the greater portion of the uncleared land is 

 still in virgin forest." — The Momitain State, hy Geo. 

 W. Summers. 



1900. — "The wooded area of West Virginia is estimated at 

 18,400 square miles, or 73 per cent of the area of the 

 State and most of this is occupied by timber of a mer- 

 chantable size and quantity." — TJ. S. Census Report, hy 

 Henry Gannett. 



The virgin forest area in 1910 is slightly over 1^ million 



