Actually, the British Royal Navy used oaks that had been planted some 200 years earlier specifically for the navy. From http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=11894

Actually, the British Royal Navy used oaks that had been planted some 200 years earlier specifically for the navy. From http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=11894 http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=11894 which talks about long term thinking for interstellar flight: The British oak used in the ships that fought the Napoleonic wars was planted during the reign of the Stuarts some 200 years earlier and allocated for future use in the Royal Navy. Knowing this, Collingwood went on to encourage the planting of oaks that would be made ready for future Royal Navy ships, oaks that matured long after the heyday of sailing ships.