There are two main reasons that are linked to decline of naval stores production in North Carolina in 1800's and 1900's. One is the due to the fires made on pine forests by general William Tecumseh Sherman's troops during the war which destroyed the forest and reduced the Longleaf Pines available affecting the turpentine, tar and pitch production. The other is changes and innovations in technology, the iron became more used in ships than wood and new solvents replaced the turpentine, this reduced the need of pine-tree and helped to decline the naval stores in North Carolina.
