The early european colonists & explorers reported vast pristine forests covering the land. There's some evidence to suggest that these were very recent second g

The early european colonists & explorers reported vast pristine forests covering the land. There's some evidence to suggest that these were very recent second growth, the diseases from the europeans having wiped out 50-90% of the native american population, and having spread much faster through the continent than the europeans did. Without the native americans maintaining the land with controlled burns and rotations, forests quickly regrew over their pastures and plains. Of course, by the late 1700s, colonists were themselves clearing forests and converting them to farmland.