The American lumber industry had its beginning in Maine, and with the country's western expansion it moved across the continent. In this movement the industry carried with it much of its special methods, equipment, terminology, and many of its people.

This scene shows a winter logging operation in northern Minnesota in the late 1800s, at a time when the seemingly "inexhaustible" forest of White Pine in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota turned the eyes of lumbermen.

Most skidding was done in the early winter before the snow became too deep. One team of horses and one man could skid up to 150 logs in one day. The sleigh load shown here is small compared to a record load of 62 logs totaling 36,055 board feet cut and loaded in Michigan in
1893.

Much has been learned about the management of the forests of North America since these early years. The future of these forests, our only renewable natural resource, is in good hands for the benefit of present and future generations.