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>How do they know it was oak from Sweden? Maybe it has something to do with good records-keeping back then- these ship-worthy oak trees were treasured and prot
by cr1895 9y ago
>How do they know it was oak from Sweden?
Maybe it has something to do with good records-keeping back then- these ship-worthy oak trees were treasured and protected:
"Oaks and cultural history
Over the centuries, the oak has been a significant tree in Swedish life and in many ways Johan’s book is also a cultural history of the tree. Oaks were central, for example, to the shipbuilding industry during the reign of King Gustav Vasa. A large ship required approximately 2,000 oaks so laws were introduced to protect them; anyone caught cutting down or damaging oaks or seedlings found themselves subject to severe penalties."
http://www.su.se/english/about/news-and-events/a-pictorial-account-of-swedish-oaks-and-wildlife-1.5505 http://www.su.se/english/about/news-and-events/a-pictorial-a...
- jonrei 9y agoFunny anecdote time! The oaks mentioned in the article, on Visingsö, were planted in the early 19th century for future war ships. In 1975 the chief of the forest service called the chief of navy telling him the oaks were ready for harvest. For some reason he declined the offer, but thought it would be nice if the forest could be preserved, which it were.
- toyg 9y agoA clear case of premature optimization.
- B1FF_PSUVM 9y agoSo, sometimes, in a century or two we figure out we were worrying about (and investing on) the wrong thing. Well, there's always the recreational value of worrying.