One of the first things the newly arrived European settlers noticed in North America was the vegetation.
In the east, they saw forests everywhere – and they used wood from the trees to build houses, to cook, and to keep warm. The American Indians who lived in eastern forests farmed in small clearings. But early settlers cut down whole forests to grow crops in the European way.
An area’s natural vegetation is the plants that grow naturally there. Trees, bushes, grasses, and other plants reflect the landscape, soils, and climate of that area.
