Early settlers needed land to grow crops. Forests took up a lot of space and had to be cleared before crops could be planted.
2. Building materials
Trees provided essential materials for building homes, barns, and other structures.
3. Fuel
Wood was the primary source of fuel for cooking, heating, and powering machinery.
4. Transportation
Early roads and canals were often built through forests, requiring trees to be cleared.
5. Disease prevention
Some forests were cleared to reduce the spread of diseases like malaria and yellow fever, which were carried by mosquitoes that thrived in wooded areas.
6. Aesthetics
Some settlers cleared forests to create a more open and aesthetically pleasing landscape.