Burnwood Trail Stop 1: Logging in Appalachia

A logger in Webster County, WV posing with a large tulip poplar log.

West Virginia & Regional History Collection

Quick Facts

Location:

38.07632, -81.07547

Significance:

Old-Growth Forest Network

Old-Growth Forest Hike Stop 1 - Logging History of Appalachia

Large trees over 100 feet tall and hundreds of years old were once common across the Appalachian landscape. Throughout the late 19th to early 20th century, a large-scale commercial logging boom swept across the forests of Appalachia. New advancements in sawmill technology and rapid development of urban areas across the country created a higher demand for lumber, resulting in millions of acres of forests being clearcut within a few decades. It is estimated that less than 1% of the original forests remain throughout the eastern United States and West Virginia, usually in small patches of a few dozen acres or less.

The forest along this trail was a small tract of private property owned by the Laing family. Evidence along the trail reveals part of the land was cleared for pasture and a homestead, but some of the forest was left to grow naturally with minimal human impact. It is unclear why they chose not to cut a portion of their land. Perhaps they left the forest for hunting or as a form of insurance where they could sell their timber during times of potential hardship. Look for clues of past land use from the remnant fencing found along the sides of this portion of the trail.