Medieval trade ranged from North America to Ukraine

We all know that the Vikings were the first Europeans to land in North America. In addition, they had settlements in Greenland where no trees grow. Therefore, the Norse people, who lived in Greenland from AD 985 to 1450, relied on imports, mostly from Northern Europe, for various materials, including iron. 

Now a new investigation of ancient pieces of wood has revealed that at least 26 out of over 8 500 wood remnants found in five Norse sites in western Greenland came from trees that could not have reached Greenland solely through the natural action of tides and waves. The researchers from the University of Iceland examined the microscopic structure of the 800 years old wood remnants and concluded that the imported timber, which included species like hemlock and Jack pine, originated from mainland North America.

This discovery challenges the previous belief that Norse people exclusively imported materials from northern Europe. It suggests that they were, in fact, importing materials from the northeastern coast of mainland North America for a longer duration than previously assumed. 

Furthermore, it indicates that the Norse people had established trade connections and actively imported resources not only from distant locations within Europe but also maintained long-distance connections extending to the west. As a result, their international trade network spanned from what is now Ukraine to North America.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Long distance trade
Ivory trade from Greenland to Ukraine
Vikings and the technological cutting edge