Ironically the fate of UK's many forests lies in the fires of industry prior to the invention of coal. There was no tragedy of the commons there, they were boug

Ironically the fate of UK's many forests lies in the fires of industry prior to the invention of coal. There was no tragedy of the commons there, they were bought and sold for profit which is not unlike what OP suggests would be the "correct" way to do things. The fact is that if you're not exploiting something on a mass industrial level there's hardly a way you'd destroy anything. And that's not being done by regular people trying to make a small living.