Early Appalachia seemed to have limitless timber, stretching from northeastern Alabama and north Georgia to central New York. Forest types included oak-hickory, swamp, spruce-fir stands at high elevations, and open pine communities. The forests provided settlers with wood for fuel and building homes, as well as bountiful food.

Loggers at first cut trees with huge saws and used teams of livestocks to haul the downed logs off slopes. These were gradually replaced by loaders and skidders and steam mills were set up to saw giant logs. Timber was shipped by locomotive to factories elsewhere in the nation. While the industry shifted focus again in the mid-20th when it moved to the Pacific Northwest, logging still continues to be a multibillion dollar industry in Appalachia.

From 1880 to 1930, most coal and timber production was consolidated by large, out-of-state companies. External ownership of land allowed for Appalachia’s resources and wealth to flow out of the region and fuel the rest of the country and world. In the last century, little has changed in regard to land ownership, which still remains a key to power in the region today. In 80 counties throughout Appalachia, private companies still own over half of the surface area.

Organic debris from swamps in the region layered with silt as drifting continental plates folded and faulted in a cyclical pattern. Over time, these layers formed into vast coal deposits. While from the late 19th through 20th century, Appalachia produced vast amounts of coal, few of the profits were invested back into the region and instead filled the pockets of large, out-of-state mining operators.

Fossil Fuel Extraction

Mountaintop removal is a process of fossil fuel extraction left unnoticed by most people that rely on it’s product for energy. This drawing examines the process in order to communicate the impact it has on the region.

Coal is not ready to be shipped to one of America’s many coal powered electrical plants straight from the ground. It must be processed and cleaned before it makes it’s journey by train to its final destination.