Again, I think you’re selling our forefathers short. Whether it’s the dust bowl of the depression years, or the complete deforestation of the eastern seaboard in the 18th into early 19th century, they had an ability to inflict damage beyond that for which you give them credit. Yes, we are touching parts of the globe that had been previously undisturbed, but our awareness has also increased.
Begreen, help me remember the average household firewood usage, that has been reported here many times. I think it was over 30 cords per household, ca.1800? Simultaneously, we were shipping massive amounts of useable timber to Europe the the rest of the world, and building nearly everything we used out of trees.
I’d bet that the global numbers on deforestation, and probably several other measurable factors, will support your argument. But I’d also bet it’s by much less than you would expect. The last 200 years were not exactly times of pristine preservation in this country, Europe, or much of Asia.