By the late 19th Century, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was almost stripped of its old growth forest by the lumber industry, since almost everything was made of wood and it was still being used as the major fuel. What was left was mostly brush, which was subject to constant wildfires. Wildlife was almost exterminated through hunting and lack of habitat. Some places in the state were refered to as "deserts".

Of course anyone driving down the PA Turnpike or flying over the state now would find that quite hard to believe, since PA has almost a 60% forest cover now. It's a great place to do leaf watching in the Fall. White tailed deer have become a nusaince animal, and bears and beavers have returned in large numbers. Planting and carefully managing forests is the way this was done, both by the government and private industry. New York state has an even greater tree cover, so it's not like progress hasn't been made for the last hundred years or so because that's how long it takes to grow a forest. So no one there or in the Keystone state is going to cut down the last tree. There is a great deal less hubris, stupidity, and pride than you may think, but if that is all you are looking for that is all you will see.