Re: US East Coast
Andrew,
You will find many heavyily forested areas throughout the US. As an air traffic controller, it never ceases to amaze me when I watch some pilot on radar flying so low that if the engine quit they would never make it to a safe landing. Also another item that never ceases to amaze me are pilots who are willing to fly low level over the Great Lakes (average water temp in the summer is less than 60 degrees), my philosophy is if I can't get high enough to glide to either shore I don't attempt to fly across the lake.
It is also true that golf courses do make good landing strips, just watch out for sand traps and the ocassional dog leg turn.
Mike