A Born Again Ecosystem

A Born Again Ecosystem. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. , When you look at this forest, what do you see? Pristine natural beauty? An ancient gorge covered by a vast unbroken forest? The story behind this scenery is more complex, for if you stood on this ground 100 years ago, you would be surrounded by logging and mining operations., With the arrival of the C&O Railroad in 1883, this gorge "boomed" from a lad of small subsistence farmsteads to an industrial zone with dozens of company towns employing thousands of miners and loggers. This boom quickly swept away much of the original old growth forest ecosystem., The rebirth of the natural environment here began with the inevitable "bust" of coal and timber industries in the gorge. National and state parks and forests gave these ecosystems a second chance. New River Gorge today contains the most diverse flora of any river gorge in central and southern Appalachia Besides providing essential habitat for endangered mammals, rare birds and amphibians, a dedicated botanist could find over 1400 different species of plants in the park. The pristine natural beauty we enjoy today has not always been here, but with your help, these forests can continue to grow and thrive., Logging was a major industry in the gorge during the coal boom years. Timber was needed for houses, mine structures, railroad ties, and timbers to support the mine roof. The forest we see today is second and third generation growth.