The Dwarves, Noldor, and humans that learned from either, or by their own lights, used technology. Gondor and Rohan apparently had iron smelting, as did the Dwarves. So, Turgon, the trampling of which you speak would not occur until the late 19th century, very late in history, indeed.
Still, I think a distinction is in order (which I've been suggesting already). The Enemy had minds of metal and gears. Which is to say, they cared nothing for environment; they are all about the abuse of the environment. Maybe it is an inherent pessimism in you, Turgon, but I see things a little more positively. If the Sil texts had been extant from, say, 1500 B.C. to A.D. 1000, technological advancement would not necessarily have been unheard of. Rather, until the 19th century, there would have been no dissonance between tech advance and environmental care, because there wasn't much anyway, before the industrial era.
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