From: (Greg Pavlov)

On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 11:15:55 -0500, "Jim Ray"
wrote:

I also doubt that clear cutting or burning was a wide spread
practice.

There is definite evidence that the Mayans and related
civilizations did do this on a significant scale. And
I've seen some speculation that there was a fair amount
of it in eastern North America as well.

In the mid to late nineteenth century, much of central and southern New England
was open farmland, pretty much devoid of forestation. I have seen many pictures
taken during that time that show pstureland as far as the eye can see. The
multitude of stone walls that one encounters in what is now dense woodland bear
mute testimony to what was there 150 years ago.


George Adams

"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream of
youth that doth not grow stale with age."
---- J.W Muller