Decline of the Mountain State's forests

"Mountains," Roy B. Clarkson shows the decline of the virgin forest in West Virginia by comparing the following statements.

1835
West of the Alleghanies a large portion of the country must forever remain in its primitive forest
~ Joseph Martin

1870
At least 10 million acres [in West Virginia] are still in all the vigor and freshness of original growth ~J.H. Diss Debar

1876
Between 9 million and 10 million acres [in West Virginia] are in the original forest, ~Maury & Fontaine

1863
Nearly or quite one-half of the State is still uncleared and by far the greater portion of the uncleared land is still in virgin forest.
~George W. Summers,
The Mountain State

1900
The wooded area of West Virginia is estimated at 18,400 square miles, or 73 percent of the area of the state and most of this is occupied by timber of merchantable size and quantity
~U.S. Census Report

1910
The virgin forest area in 1910 is sightly over 1.5 million acres.

1920
The original forest was completely depleted except for a few isolated areas of small acreage.