The prices (and estimated values) of farm lands are the expression of the individual capitals, which formed each year an increasing statistical total of so-called wealth.

The people had less land per capita, and were poorer per capita as respects this item of landed-wealth, had less meat per capita, and had to give more labor in exchange for food, at the same time that the statistical per capita of land values increased.
So it may be as respects forests, coal, cotton, and eventually iron, copper, and many other things.

When forests were plentiful, lumber and fire wood were free goods in many neighborhoods.

Forests entered into the total of national "wealth" in 1850 and 1860 at a comparatively small sum.

But in 1910 when the forests had been half used up they appeared as a greater total and probably as a greater per capita item of "wealth" than in 1850.