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> access to vast untapped timber ??? Scandinavia is full of it. But I suppose in the 1600's it was the Netherlands that cut down all the forests, they were the
by Cthulhu_ 2y ago
> access to vast untapped timber
??? Scandinavia is full of it. But I suppose in the 1600's it was the Netherlands that cut down all the forests, they were the shipbuilding superpower at the time.
- throwaway48476 2y agoThey didn't have enough. >The Swedish Navy planted oak trees on the island beginning in 1831 to provide strategically important timber for future ship construction. Once the timber was ready to harvest it was no longer required for ship construction. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visings%C3%B6 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visings%C3%B6
- speleding 2y agoFun fact: the word "Holland" comes from "Houtland" meaning "Wood" land. There is almost no forrest left there now because they turned the trees into boats during their golden age.
- tirant 2y agoIt was the same situation for Spain. Its rise as a naval superpower in the 15th and 16th centuries came at a high environmental cost too. To build its fleet, including those iconic Spanish galleons, Spain logged high amounts of oak and pine, especially from northern regions like Cantabria and the Basque Country. As ship production ramped up, there were growing concerns about resource depletion. To the point that by the late 16th century, Spain was forced to start importing timber from its colonies to keep up with demand.
- shmeeed 2y agoWhat I find so chilling and reminding about this history is that to this very day, the spanish peninsula remains largely deforested because of that fleet they had 500 years ago.
- impossiblefork 2y agoWe have forests, but not like the US. We had to carefully manage our forests in order to keep them.