The History of Logging in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The US logging industry began in 1607 when the Jamestown settlers cut down lumber to build the first settlement in the New World. It has not withered away over the centuries; in fact, the lumber industry in the United States is extremely important to our economy and consistently supplies lumber throughout the world.
Before the formation of the United States of America, the American colonies were essential to England as lumber suppliers for the mighty British fleet. According to an article by Woodsplitters Direct, by the 1790s, New England was exporting 36 million feet of pine boards and at least 300 ship masts per year to the British Empire.
With the dawn of the Industrial Revolution around the same time, the logging industry spiked with the need for New England to ship timber outside North America regularly. According to the History Channel, by the 1830s, Bangor, Maine, was the world’s biggest shipping port of lumber. However, with such a high demand, the timber supply dwindled at the start of the 20th century. The logging industry was then forced to seek timber elsewhere, hence the expansion into the American West.
With the enactment of the Homestead Act of 1862, westward expansion took off, which was great news for the dwindling timber supply in the Eastern United States. The logging industry could keep going strong with a new wood supply, which was good for the American economy.
The logging industry expanded west by leaps and bounds. In 1910, Idaho was distributing 745 million board feet nationally. Between 1945 and 1970, the logging industry expanded to Washington and Oregon; the timber harvest rate went from 5% to 50%, and by 1970, 41% of the lumber in the United States came from the Pacific Northwest.
Logging Transportation Methods
Waterways: Since timber is harvested in remote forested locations, the timber industry utilizes waterways to transport its heavy products. The most efficient practice was to cut timber near water, sending logs downstream for processing (i.e., wood heat) and/or delivery. Log flumes were also created that utilized water-filled troughs, where logs were tied together like rafts and floated downstream.
Horses and Oxen: When it became necessary to move away from water for harvesting, loggers relied on horses or oxen to haul timber. They often dragged logs through woods over skid roads and rough tracks.
Railroads: Logging companies had to get creative to transform lumber from raw material to product. In some cases, makeshift railroads were constructed from the lumber harvested. Once the lumber was transported to a sorting yard, regardless of how it got there, it was moved to mills, where the wood was transformed into products.
Cutting Methods
As technology evolved, so did the tools of the trade for the logging industry. Early loggers worked by hand using axes and handsaws. Next came more powerful tools such as chainsaws and now motorized equipment that has revolutionized production and safety in logging.