>>1960637>How thick are the forests? Are there large areas of forest, or just woods mixed in with the suburban hellscape? Is the place over-developed?Forests in the Eastern part of the state are largely dominated by loblolly pines and (especially at the coast) live oaks and yaupon hollies. Swamp maples are also very common, and forests tend more towards mixed hardwood/conifer as you go west, maybe leaning towards conifers again as you hit the mountains. Mountains also have lots of rhododendron and mountain laurel.
We have several good state/national parks/forests, and I think in the mountains things tend to be less developed. By and large the state is rural, and most of the land is patches of forest interspersed with farm fields. You're probably not going to find many places where you can see further than a mile without your line of sight being blocked by at least a thin stand of trees. Unless you get into one of the big cities like Raleigh or Charlotte, even the urban/suburban areas tend to be fairly green, at least in my experience. Whether or not the place is overdeveloped is probably more of a personal opinion. I think the whole fucking planet is overdeveloped, and we'd be better served by cutting human population by at least 90% and not letting it rise above that point, but that's neither here nor there. Charlotte, Wilmington, the Triad (Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem), and the Triangle(Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) are the only real urban areas, I'd say. Maybe toss Asheville in there as well. I believe I have heard that the Triangle is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation, though.
Also we have pawpaws, which I've been enjoying greatly after being made aware of them a few years back.
