FORESTS AND EARLY SETTLERS 
349 
accomplish both of these, the destruction of trees was 
necessary. Trees furnished the most abundant and the 
most natural material of which to build houses and to make 
Figure 323. —What Deforesting Is Doing in the United States. 
A scene in North Carolina showing the rapid removal of soil after the 
forest is cut. 
fuel, and they had to be removed before crops could be 
planted. Furthermore, they sheltered the settlers’ enemies, 
so it was a matter of safety to have extensive clearings around 
