[James Lewis]

There are more trees in the United States now than there were when the Pilgrims landed.

Better recheck your facts. There are more trees in the U.S. today than there was in 1900. That is because trees were the country's major source of fuel and building material back then. If we look at photos taken during the late 1800s, we see a noticeable absence of trees. But I can't accept the same for when the Pilgrims landed. If you want some first hand observation on this, check out some old buildings in your area that were constructed in the 19th century. You will be amassed at the size and quality of the timber that was used. We can only wish we had lumber like that today.

[ganesha]

The percentage of land used for agriculture also affects forest cover. In 1880, 50 percent of the Northeastern U.S. was farmland. Now it is 20 percent farmland. By contrast the midwest is 80 percent farmland. When the farms were abandoned the trees grew back. In some places native American indians set fires to that there would be more grazing land for the animals which they hunted. The oil industry did replace burning trees, and coal, and whale oil but trees still are a major construction material.

[NeonKnight]

James, I would believe that there are more trees now than when the pilgrims landed(sorry, no references) Read post 46.