In the United States (US), there has been a rich history of forestry and forest products use since the early settlers in the 17th century. Even before the Europeans settled North America, forest products played an important role in everyday life. Forest products have been a major strategic asset and are critical to the social, economic, and ecological well being of the United States. US history includes trees removal for farmland and significant production of timber products, such as log homes, train trestles, fences, and bridges. Significant changes in the forests of the US brought about policy changes by the US government, which greatly affected land use. The US is a wood oriented country, ranking third of all countries in volume of standing forest timber. Of the 305 million hectares of U.S. forestland, 130 million hectares are held publicly and 175 million hectares are held privately. Abundant forest resources and prudent forest management have allowed U.S. industry to make wood the single largest material resource of industrial production. Approximately 330 million metric tons of wood is harvested annually in the United States, which is by far the worlds largest industrial timber-producing nation. The focus of this presentation is on the rich history of wood culture in the US, contemporary forest products issues, and forestry and forest products in the future.