Most of the forests of the Appalachians and Ozarks were logged prior to the 1920s, but some escaped logging. Today, both regions are largely dominated by forests, and these forests are afforded varying degrees of protection. Forests are almost totally protected in wilderness areas, national parks, and some natural areas. Other forests such as those in state parks, state forests, and some types of limited access areas receive considerable protection from at least human intervention, but most other forested areas are potentially subject to varying degrees of disturbance. The types of disturbance are dependent on regulations and utilization, and the latter includes the direct impact of certain human activities, including logging. Experimental forests were set up as forest laboratories where the effects of various types of disturbance could be studied. There is no question that forests represent a renewable and sustainable resource of incalculable aesthetic, environmental, and economic value. The protection of forests and the habitats with which they are associated remains critical, and doing this is a real challenge because of the wide variation in ownership, ranging from public protection and management to private landowner.