Posted By Skorn at

Just like ancient people on Earth used every part of the animal we can use every part of trees to make sure nothing goes to waste. I am not sure what the developers have thought when it came to how trees can be used besides as building materials and firewood so here are my two cents.

(snip)

I like the way you're thinking! A couple thoughts:

Charcoal has a clear use in crafting- most coal has too much sulfur for steelmaking unless it's coked, and humans didn't figure out how to do that until relatively recently. Most medieval steelmaking used charcoal (which had the side effect of deforesting a good chunk of Europe). I would love it if distinctions like this mattered in CoE.

Cork is a specific kind of bark, from a type of oak. It's one of the few tree products that can be produced without killing the tree, and obviously it's incredibly useful!

Something that you didn't mention is "tapping" trees for sugary sap, like birch or maple are tapped in wintertime and the juice boiled down to make syrup.

Bark Baskets are another use for bark, Birch in particular can be made into small boxes quite easily.

Note that several products are made exclusively from pines traditionally called 'Navel Stores'. The outside of a tree is scared to produce resin, which is then distilled into turpentine and rosin. The heartwood of a pine is burned to produce tar, tar can then be boiled and concentrated down to pitch which will harden to nearly solid. All are unique and have uses in building and maintaining wooden ships and other wood products. This would be a major export in a mixed or pine forested area.

Wood Ash is primarily made from hardwood, as softwood will produce about half as much ash per unit of dry weight (add to that that dry pine is lower density too). Tree Bark produces double the ash of hard wood, including pine bark. Hardwood ash contains significantly more Potash as well, being a third of hardwood ash, but just a 10th of pine ash. Lastly hardwood and softwood have very different heat values.

Lets not forget the obvious:

• Weapons (Bows, arrows, staffs, clubs, spears,javelins)
• Furniture
• Vehicles(from canoe to clipper and from wheelbarrow to carriage)
• Food production (fruit,nuts)
• Underbark for Medicine (underbark of a Willow tree is medicinal (fever reduction)
• Willow branches make for excellent baskets, fishtraps and even furniture.
• Brewing (if mann finds something, fruit/sap or flower, with suffient sugar content we'll try and ferment it)

I've honestly considered spending my first life as a forester / lumberjack, you know lumber is going to be in extremely high demand as people get set up / build homes for future generations of characters, and replanting trees is going to be a skill that a lot of people ignore as the forests are so plentiful.

Posted By KalTheo at 1:03 PM - Sat Jan 13 2018

I've honestly considered spending my first life as a forester / lumberjack, you know lumber is going to be in extremely high demand as people get set up / build homes for future generations of characters, and replanting trees is going to be a skill that a lot of people ignore as the forests are so plentiful.

Hi KalTHeo I’d be looking for someone of your skill in my town ( Kingswood ) TBC. I could and wood be willing to provide land and any help needed. If interested click on my Banner and send me a pm to hook up in Discord my friend.

Posted By KalTheo at 08:03 AM - Sat Jan 13 2018

I've honestly considered spending my first life as a forester / lumberjack, you know lumber is going to be in extremely high demand as people get set up / build homes for future generations of characters, and replanting trees is going to be a skill that a lot of people ignore as the forests are so plentiful.

A great deal of people in the late 1800's ignored that skill and it caused a lot of shortages. Let's hope the same won't happen in Elyria.

KalTheo,

It’s one I have wondered about as well. Not as my primary but as the secondary. Only if I’m around trees of course.

You are completely right about lumber.