Yes, most of those stands of virgin trees are gone. Many of the masions here in Michigan were built by the lumber barons. Drive through Bay City, Saginaw, Alpena etc. Huge homes were built from what was thought to be a endless supply of trees. Alas, Michigan was almost completly clear cut. There are only a few scattered stands of the old trees left. The trees in our pine forests here certainly were not as huge as the big redwoods out west, but the shear numbers that were harvested is staggering. Rivers of logs were floated downstream to the mills. While it is true that forest management is now practiced, the new growth will never come close to what was once so plentiful. Can't really put the blame on anyone though. Just how things evolved. Same thing for many other states in the union.
Same in New England timusp40 . There are a few stands of original old growth left, mostly in areas where they couldn’t easily access the trees. Rocky ravines, steep hillsides and the like. Enough time has passed since the mass clear cutting here that 2nd or 3rd generation forests are pretty common and flourishing. Given enough time and responsible management I’m sure some areas could eventually become old growth, although truthfully only a shadow of what once was. A few miles up the road from me are a series of waterfalls that pass through a few acres of rugged, rocky, and steep terrain. It’s almost a monoculture Hemlock forest, with many trees 4-5’ diameter, and perfectly straight trunks soaring into the sky. These were all spared due to the location. I’ll have to get some pictures soon. Although they pale in comparison to the sequoias and redwoods out west, they’re special in their own right.
Good to hear that you still have some old growth to enjoy and share with new generations. Michigan was generally very accessable to the loggers. Not many rocky ravines or such. I forgot to mention another thing that took thousands of acres. Forest fires! There were some very large fires that pretty much just burned themselves out since there was no way to control them. At one time we had a statewide system on maned fire towers in both upper and lower peninsulas. They helped pinpoint fire locations using triangulation. With todays technology the towers were mostly torn down although a few remain.
I think that Maine is the most forested state. 90% Many years ago, my brother in-law (a pilot with his own plane) took up and around the state. I saw a lot of clear cutting at that time. I prefer the selective harvesting technique. While we had some forest fires years ago, none recently.
Look this up if you are interested.Great Michigan Fire - Wikipedia Late 1800's Michigan fires destroyed 3,900 square miles or 2.5 million acres. Land left barren, unknown number of buildings, animals, property loss etc. Total loss of forestry was never completly determined.
Interesting. I never heard of that before, besides the Chicago fire. That amount of devastation is hard to wrap your head around.
Thanks, Fires are about the worst disasters. I have been in floods, typhoons, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards. I have been in CA when the sky was orange from the fires, but never in the threat of a fire. I know a forest can recover, but it takes a very long time and goes through many cycles of growth before it ends up as mature forest.
Should anyone visit MI and would like to know more about the old lumber industry, Hartwick Pines State Park, located near Grayling is a great place to visit. There are still some old trees there too.
I've had the honor of seeing redwoods north of San Francisco. It was about 10 yrs ago in the Muir Woods. Amazing to see in person.
Nice. I took a brief day trip through Sequoia National Park back in 2005. I remember the bark on those humongous trees felt soft and spongy to the touch. One of those experiences that stays with you forever.
I made it a point to visit the redwoods and sequoias one summer with the kids. Also took in the coast of California, the Grand Canyon, and Hoover Dam. Las Vegas was nothing more than a bed and buffet (s). Sequoia national park was great. Ended up with some great souvenirs. One hint to anyone traveling there.....Don't start up the chainsaw and rev it up in the parking lots They frown on that, big time!
