Recent research highlights the historical significance of firewood in America as a primary energy source from 1700 to 2010. Carnegie Mellon economist Nicholas Muller analyzed over 6,000 historical price quotes to construct a comprehensive price index. Initially, many Americans sourced firewood themselves, which obscured pricing statistics. As urbanization increased, reliance on market transactions grew, leading to price listings in newspapers. The study reveals firewood’s substantial role in the economy by around 1860, emphasizing a previously underexplored area of economic history.
Firewood was humanity's main energy source for centuries, but solid statistics about prices have been difficult to find due to many Americans chopping down wood themselves.
Growing urbanization shifted firewood sourcing, leading to market transactions, where newspapers began publishing firewood prices in their classified sections.
Nicholas Muller constructed a firewood price index based on more than 6,000 price quotes from historical sources dating back to 1700.
This research reveals that by around 1860, firewood accounted for a significant part of the American economy, showcasing its historical importance.
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