A hundred years ago, Michigan was a cut-over wasteland. Unsustainable logging practices had left most of the state covered in stumps, detritus and land with zero economic or ecological value.
But some very smart people decided to reclaim the land. The State of Michigan established the largest system of state forests in the nation. Four national forests were created. The National Park Service and state park system also began to amass land that would later become one of the nation's best park systems.
An exploration of this history can be found in the book "Planning a Wilderness" by James Kates: