Wood was mostly used for fuel back then. The turn of the 20th century also marked the end of the sailship era and the end of wood as a major element in ship con

Wood was mostly used for fuel back then. The turn of the 20th century also marked the end of the sailship era and the end of wood as a major element in ship construction. Other uses for wood were sleepers for railways and whole logs for utility poles. Incidentally, US aircraft carriers had wooden decks in WW2 and wood was still an element in airplane construction. In the last few decades chipboard furniture and managed tree farms further reduced deforestation. Keep in mind that the conditions US colonists found in the US: a massive, dense, virgin forest were not natural. The massive depopulation of native peoples allowed forests to grow thick and create the illusion of an uninhabited land. Normally people manage the land, usually unintentionally from just living on it.