14 



which covered the State. The original forest covered almost its en- 

 tire area, which is usually given as 28,594,560 acres. Practically 

 the entire State, with the exception of a few natural meadows and 

 the tops of a few mountains, was covered with trees. The original 

 forest was composed of many and valuable species often occurring in 

 dense stands. The richness of our forest flora is due to its favorable 

 location with reference to climatic and physiographic factors. Penn- 

 sylvania is the meeting ground of many northern and southern spec- 

 ies. In the western part of the State one finds outposts of species 

 common to the Mississippi valley, while in the southeastern part 

 some of the species of the coast region are found. Some of the north- 

 ern species have their southern limits here, or else follow the moun- 

 tains toward the south, while some of the southern species have their 

 northern limits here, usually migrating northward through the val- 

 leys. The forests in the southeastern and the western parts of the 

 State are composed almost entirely of hardwoods, while the central 

 and the northern or mountainous parts are composed of a mixture 

 of hardwoods and conifers. One may find the hardwoods by them- 

 selves and the conifers by themselves, or they may occur in mixture. 

 A few of our native species are very valuable, while others are less 

 valuable and some mere forest weeds. The real value of a species 

 changes with the change of the general economic, particularly market, 

 conditions. Within the last decade market prices of wood have risen 

 so much that they have brought about a more intensive utilization of 

 our forest products. Many species formerly left standing in the 

 forest are now utilized. A moment's reflection upon the present 

 tendency in the utilization of the products of the various trees causes 

 us to comprehend fully the truth of the statement that the despised 

 species of to-day will be prized tomorrow. The richness of the 

 arborescent flora together with the great age and large size which 

 some of the trees attained justifies the statement that Pennsylvania 

 was at one time "one of the best timbered states of the Atlantic 

 Coast." 



Nature working through many centuries developed in this State 

 a forest which w^as one of the most valuable of the many heritages 

 with which its citizens have been blessed. If we could see maps 

 showing the structure and distribution of the forests of Pennsylvania 

 in the years 1600 and 1900, we would be astonished by the wonderful 

 change that has taken place in a period that represents only a few 

 generations of trees. Many were the agents which brought about 

 this change, but it was left to man to play the leading role. Man 

 w^orking through a few centuries has removed the forest or abused 

 it through fire and unregulated cutting. The establishment of pio- 

 neer homes, the opening of agricultural and grazing lands, the in- 

 crease of population, the development of industrial enterprises, the 



