Illinois looks vastly different than it did over 200 hundred years ago before Europeans settled it. Urban sprawl and farmland have largely replaced the 13.8 million acres of forest that used to exist. Illinois has 37,067,520 acres of land and water. Approximately 38% of the state used to be forested; consisting of Oak and Hickory trees. The remaining 62% was prairie. Early settlers of Illinois used wood for fuel, building materials and goods, such as tools and furniture. By 1870, 7.8 million of the 13.8 million acres of forest that existed in Illinois were gone.
Between 1860 and 1900, the timber industry in Illinois was booming; however, by the beginning of the 1900’s, it began to slow down due to deforestation. Many forests were completely cut down for timber or cattle grazing. Illinois forests helped to build Illinois’ urban areas and its industries. By 1923, 22,000 acres of virgin growth forests were left in the state. Deforestation led to a smaller habitat for wildlife and more soil erosion. It was not until the 1940’s that many farmers switched from using the land for cattle to producing crops. While some land was cleared for farming, land unusable for crops were retaken by secondary forests. Secondary forests are forests that have regrown following a major disturbance such as fire or deforestation. Secondary forests usually have one canopy layer with trees that are more closely spaced together and have more undergrowth.
Less than 1/10 of the original forests exist today in Ilinois. If it were not for the timber industry slowdown in the early to mid 1900’s, these forests might not exist today. In addition, conservations efforts were started in the 1950’s to help curb deforestation. Forest preserves were set up to save and restore prairie and Oak ecosystems.
Deforestation Evaluation 