"Out of the forests of New Brunswick has arisen a trade with the mother country beneficial to both ..."
Thomas Baillie, surveyor general and
commissioner of Crown land, 1832
The profound relationship between New Brunswickers and their forest heritage began many centuries ago. Early aboriginal inhabitants relied on the forest for food, clothing and shelter. They developed spiritual traditions based on trees, and gathered woodland plants for medicine. European settlers used wood to make everything from barrels and furniture to buckets and sewer pipes. Trees were burned for fuelwood, charcoal and fertilizer production. Forestry is the largest industry in New Brunswick today. It has been our economic mainstay since the early 1800s.