When most people think of the mountainous regions in West Virginia, they think that the trees were mostly untouched until settlers arrived in the late 1700's. In reality, the Native Americans removed trees to before then to access larger flat regions. The settlers of Randolph County then continued the practice of girdling, used by Native Americans, to create mountain homesteads and cutting to build homes.
At one time, Randolph County was estimated to have close to 400,000 acres of virgin forest before the 1880's. When the harvesting of timber started in earnest, the axe and cross-cut saw where the modern tools for falling trees. When the tree was milled, the Pit or Whip Saw was an arduous process that required two men to complete the milling of lumber.
The 1880's brought water-powered mills that known as a Sash Sawmill that limited the use of man power, but the process was slow only able to cut 500 feet per day. Animals, horses or mules, were used to drag lumber out of the forest to mills or as the power for hauling along primitive rail systems. Other options were Splash Dams, Log Slides, Floating Log Drives, but the most influential was steam power. Not only for transport on railroads, but as a machine to mill lumber using circular saws and band saws. Randolph County had close to 30 band saws operating during the rush of timber operations from the 1880's to the 1920's.
Aerial cables were used to remove logs from the forest to ready for transport to mills. The geared locomotive was the answer due to the ability to navigate mountainous terrain. The Shay, Climax, and Heisler locomotives used gears for moving up slopes that would stop rod locomotives. West Virginia Central & Pittsburgh RR was started by H.G. Davis and S.B. Elkins, influential business and political figures from the era, utilized geared locomotives. The railroads helped establish rapid growth of boom towns along the rail lines. As the timber was harvested and the resource gone, the boom towns lost significant numbers in population and the economies of the towns stagnated and declined.Some quick facts about West Virginia's Forest:
- 30 billion board feet were harvested between 1870 and 1920.
- 10 million acres of virgin forest were harvested
- Only 140 acres were spared as a result of survey error
- Hemlock trees will be lost due to the wooly adelgid infestation
- Erosion occurs quickly after deforestation
- Siltation from erosion in streams causes flooding issues
Think about the following:
- How have things changed in timber operations? Do different regulations apply today?
- Why is protecting watersheds from excess runoff important? What evidence do we see to protect water ways?
- How were the National Forests established in West Virginia?
- How did the Civilian Conservation Corp contribute to forestry?
- What can be done to maintain and improve the forests?
Whetshell, Robert. (2012) Forestry in Randolph County. Elkins, WV. July 16, 2012
Very good information and focus questions for students.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
This is a complete expanation of how Elkins developed a more diversified economy and was able to grow into the important regional city it is. Wr. Whetshell's history of the role of tanneries, timber, and railroads provided insight to the area's economy. Good entry.
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