Forest (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this trailside historical marker:

Forest
"It is always in one's power to cut a tree down, but time only can place them where one would have them, after the ground is stripped…”
George Washington letter to his manager, Jan. 25, 1795

As holds true today, much of the area surrounding Mount Vernon in Washington's time was woodland. Over half of his 8,000-acre estate was forested. Oak, pine and locust were harvested for the construction of buildings. Tremendous amounts of firewood fueled more than 30 fireplaces on the Mansion House Farm alone. Despite an apparent abundance of timber, Washington caraged its use. He repeatedly demanded that fallen trees be collected for firewood, and he planted live hedges of holly and cedar in hopes of replacing wooden fences.