The Indians, (Native Americans to the PC crowd), practiced slash and burn agriculture. There wasn't nearly that much Virgin Forest.
graywolf wrote: > Because it needs to go through a couple of cycles before it is a purely > natural forest. The US has lots of what I call National Woodlots (National > Forests) that have been more or less allowed to grow wild for 50-100 years. > They are still just overgrowth and not a real forest. They never will be real > forests until the current stuff dies and a new cycle grows. > > Proud Lake State Park in Michigan has what is claimed to be the largest uncut > tract of softwood forest in the US. Even that tiny 65 acre patch is eerily > different than any regrown wood I have ever been in. When you think that > there was about a million square miles of that forest when the Europeans > arrived in North America, you begin to realize what has been lost. > > Of course a woodlot is better than not having any trees at all. > > graywolf > http://www.graywolfphoto.com > http://webpages.charter.net/graywolf > "Idiot Proof" <==> "Expert Proof" > ----------------------------------- > > > AlunFoto wrote: > >> Why would you need "several thousand years", Graywolf? >> >> Jostein >> >> 2007/7/3, graywolf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: >> >>> If you want forest to go back to the "untouched by man" state, it takes >>> several thousand years. What folks do not realize is that before the >>> development of metal tools the forests were man's unrelenting enemy slowly >>> taking over any cleared land. >>> >>> graywolf >>> http://www.graywolfphoto.com >>> http://webpages.charter.net/graywolf >>> "Idiot Proof" <==> "Expert Proof" >>> ----------------------------------- >>> >>> >>> AlunFoto wrote: >>> >>> >>>> It puzzles me a bit that they claim "this resource cannot increase". >>>> Certainly, if an area is left to itself for a couple of centuries...? >>>> >>> -- >>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>> PDML@pdml.net >>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>> >>> >> > > -- All dogs have four legs; my cat has four legs. Therefore, my cat is a dog. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net