Final answer:
Colonists in the New England colonies used lumber to build ships for fishermen and whalers, which was part of the economy's focus on fishing, whaling, and shipbuilding.
Step-by-step explanation:
The colonists in the New England colonies utilized lumber from their abundant forests to construct ships to sell to fishermen and whalers. These sturdy vessels were critical for the thriving fishing and whaling industries that were part of the region's economy. In addition to shipbuilding, the New England colonies had a diverse economy that included farming for self-sufficiency, as the long winters and rocky soil made large-scale agriculture challenging. While cabinetmakers were essential for creating furniture in the colonies and did influence interior designs from English to French styles, their output served a different market compared to that of shipbuilding, which directly catered to seafaring industries.