Resources: Use—Reuse—Recycle

Resources: Use—Reuse—Recycle. . Notice the rich forest around you. The volume of wood needed for fuel meant that during the operation of Catoctin Furnace parts of this forest looked very different from today. If you traveled up into the mountain, you would find evidence of collier pits where wood from surrounding locust, chestnut, and chestnut oak trees were cut down for furnace fuel. Those tree varieties are gone and have been replaced with white oak, tulip poplar, hemlock, and birch, species chosen for their valuable charcoal making properties. See if you can find a tree along this path that has both slag and firebrick caught up in its roots. (You may also see bricks and slag elsewhere along the path.) The bricks were used to line the furnace and discarded in the woods when the furnace needed to be re-lined. Slag is a waste product that consists of iron impurities that have been removed by the limestone flux during the smelting process. Along with discarded firebrick, the slag was dumped throughout the village. Slag adds micronutrients to the earth by neutralizing soil acidity. It can help increase plant growth and improve soil texture by breaking down clay-like soil. Village blacksmiths were recyclers. Broken farm implements and metal tools were brought to the blacksmith for repair and forged with other broken metal materials to-make new, working tools. What broken metal items can you think of that a blacksmith might be able to repair? , , Please leave firebricks and slag for other visitors to see and enjoy.