Forest Society

"Forest Society" is a term applied to the economy of the earliest European settlers of the region that would become North Carolina and other eastern states. It is analogous to "hunters and gatherers" as applied to the native people found in North America by the explorers and colonists sent by Sir Walter Raleigh in the sixteenth century. Both groups-American Indians and settlers-were obliged to live off the land. Early settlers depended on forests for protection from the elements, for warmth in cold weather, for nuts and fruit to supplement their diet, and for furniture for their houses. They also relied on the forests to build boats for transportation and for much of their commerce, as naval stores (tar, pitch, and turpentine), shingles, and lumber became important items in trade.