Timber was, and remains, the natural building material of Norway. Boat construction in Viking times had developed the technique of building in wood into an art which culminated in the stave (wooden board) churches.

Christianity was introduced in Norway around the year 1000. A century later there were about 750 stave churches in the country. Today about 30 remain. The Borgund church in the Sogn area, built of Scots Pine (shown in this painting), is the best known, best perserved and most typical of Norwegian stave churches. Around the year 1150 the church was dedicated to the Apostle St. Andrew and has not been added to or rebuilt since. Natural secretions from the Scots Pine have helped to preserve the building for centuries.

Dependence on the forest is something which is deeply rooted in the Norwegian citizens. People whose ancestry is found in Scandinavian countries played important roles in North America's forest industry and continue to do so today.