9781422285633

INTRODUCTION W hen European settlers began to populate North America, the continent was covered in about a billion acres of forest. Today, roughly 750 million acres (3 million square km) remain as forest, or about 70 percent of the original area. Those early forests of North America were diverse. Deciduous and coniferous forests were found in northern regions in both the East and the West, while pine forests covered the Southeast. Hardwoods, giant pines, and other

conifers covered the mountainous regions of the United States and Canada. Mexico was home to forests of oak and pine, along with rainforests and dry forests. The northernmost regions

Temperate rainforest in Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. (Adam Jones/ Wikimedia)

7