Special Collections Research Center

Prior to the entry of the railroads, Appalachia consisted of mainly virgin old growth forests. The railroads moved into the area in the mid-1800s and opened up the land to other portions of the United States that had depleted their own forest resources. The Midwestern and Northeastern portions of the United States were the main culprits. However, Appalachian hardwoods were prized in both the United States and Europe. By the beginning of the 20th century logging was one of Appalachia’s most important economic enterprises. Yet the timber boom brought along many negative environmental changes. By 1920 as much as ninety percent of the mature forests in the Southern United States had been replaced. This constituted a complete ecosystem change in North Carolina from old growth hardwood forests to brush, weeds, scrubs, and dead tree tops. This left the resulting environment susceptible to fire which ran rampant. Erosion and flooding overtook the area causing many small farms to suffer. Another unwanted side effect of the timber industry was the run-off of human waste from the timber camps into the nearby streams. Western North Carolina, one of the areas of the highest biodiversity in the Eastern United States quickly lost many plant and animal species.