Date Unknown
Saw Courtesy of Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry
Photo Courtesy of Ken Aschliman

Forest clearing in Ohio during the 19th and early 20th centuries was accomplished largely by hand and with “beasts of burden.” This “two-man” crosscut saw was the primary tool used in the removal of trees from more than 20 million acres of Ohio’s wilderness forests to open the farmlands so prevalent in Ohio today. Interestingly, industrialization in the early to mid-20th century (during which time the power chainsaw was developed) witnessed the remarkable regrowth of Ohio forests in which more than 5 million acres of forest returned, predominantly in the hill regions of the state.