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Yet in most of the middle ages it was common practise to plant oak when a new building in e.g. a monastery was completed, in order to enable the next generation

by c1sc0 16y ago

Yet in most of the middle ages it was common practise to plant oak when a new building in e.g. a monastery was completed, in order to enable the next generation to replace e.g. the roof structure.

AngryParsley 16y ago
I've never heard of this before and Google gives me nothing. Can you provide a link or something? I thought most medieval structures had thatch roofs made with straw. I'm not sure what your anecdote has to do with my argument. The medieval times did not have the sort of growth we have today. Hoarding resources for future generations doesn't make sense in our economy. You could help the future a lot more by selling those resources and investing in index funds. A generation from now, that money will have compounded to be much more valuable than if you had preserved your original resources and tried to sell them 100 years later.
- jacquesm 16y ago
  He did say 'roof structure', not 'roof covering'. A thatched roof needs a structure to support it, that straw does not stay up in the air by magic. All the gussets and beams were made of wood.
- dctoedt 16y ago
  I seem to remember visiting an ancient English church, and being told by our guide that the original architect had caused a stand of trees to be planted near the city, of the same wood as the roof timbers. Centuries later, some of the roof timbers needed to be replaced; thanks to the architect's foresight, the necessary trees were there.
- evgen 16y ago
  The one I had heard about had to do with Oxford. http://atlasobscura.com/place/oak-beams-new-college-oxford http://atlasobscura.com/place/oak-beams-new-college-oxford
gwern 16y ago
Kevin Kelly, I believe, in _The Clock of the Long Now_ mentions a funny story about the Swedish parliament putting aside an island to grow trees for the navy. A bishop argued against it, saying that a century hence ships may well be made of something besides wood. A century hence was the 1900s, where pretty much everything was made of steel or iron or another metal...

by c1sc0 16y ago

Yet in most of the middle ages it was common practise to plant oak when a new building in e.g. a monastery was completed, in order to enable the next generation to replace e.g. the roof structure.

AngryParsley 16y ago

I've never heard of this before and Google gives me nothing. Can you provide a link or something? I thought most medieval structures had thatch roofs made with straw. I'm not sure what your anecdote has to do with my argument. The medieval times did not have the sort of growth we have today. Hoarding resources for future generations doesn't make sense in our economy. You could help the future a lot more by selling those resources and investing in index funds. A generation from now, that money will have compounded to be much more valuable than if you had preserved your original resources and tried to sell them 100 years later.

jacquesm 16y ago
He did say 'roof structure', not 'roof covering'. A thatched roof needs a structure to support it, that straw does not stay up in the air by magic. All the gussets and beams were made of wood.
dctoedt 16y ago
I seem to remember visiting an ancient English church, and being told by our guide that the original architect had caused a stand of trees to be planted near the city, of the same wood as the roof timbers. Centuries later, some of the roof timbers needed to be replaced; thanks to the architect's foresight, the necessary trees were there.
evgen 16y ago
The one I had heard about had to do with Oxford. http://atlasobscura.com/place/oak-beams-new-college-oxford http://atlasobscura.com/place/oak-beams-new-college-oxford

gwern 16y ago

Kevin Kelly, I believe, in _The Clock of the Long Now_ mentions a funny story about the Swedish parliament putting aside an island to grow trees for the navy. A bishop argued against it, saying that a century hence ships may well be made of something besides wood. A century hence was the 1900s, where pretty much everything was made of steel or iron or another metal...