ACK as another aside .....

Oak, when freshly felled, is referred to as "green". It is comparatively easy to saw, plane cut etc, because it still has sap in it. (?). Some limestone when freshly quarried is easy to carve, shape and smooth, but then hardens. Referred to as "quarry sap".

Boat/Ship building timber produces a lot of google hits, and references to older books. Beech was popular, but lacked longevity. It was used for cannon fire resistance above the waterline, and as readily replaceable abrasion resistance for keels. Tannins are high in oak timber not just the bark, natural biological decay resistance?

Pine saps were used for making tars, long before petrochemicals. The ropes excavated from the Mary Rose were still tarry, and well preserved. Jack Tars was a name for sailors, who used to tar their hair- waterproofing and nit resistance?

Stockholm Tar is still valued by horse owners, and boat builders/restorers.

Greek Fire was a weapon of mass combustion supposedly used by the ancient Greeks, involving squirting a (preheated?) burning liquid from a hose. It may have involved pine tars, olive oils, distilled alcohol.

http://www.maryrose.org/resources/lcity/woodwork/carpenter.htm

Info for children of all ages! Even on choices of wood.splitting etc

The Great Michael must have used similar, but on a larger scale

I'm not sure if this critique has been mentioned before. I found it most enlightening

https://achemistinlangley.wordpress.com/2016/09/21/why-that-new-study-in-pnas-does-not-undercut-any-myths-about-carbon-dioxide-and-its-effect-on-plant-health/

ACK, thank you. What a delightful link! Puts into perspective some of the bulldust that headed this thread. I have no link to "Charliesceptic" in the comments, though I agree with the sentiments expressed.

I have never claimed to be an expert on Climate Science, but Dana Nuccitelli is paid as one.

Golf Charlie.... Buy a book by Rackham. Woodlands is great but dispersed. His history of the country side is amazing.... And red squirrels might not be indigenous after all. And as for beech Woods!!!!?

diogenes, I had never heard of Rackham until this thread, but it is interesting that I am not the only one who finds that information accumulated over centuries, conflicts with the modern rewriting of history, that has been necessary to make theories appear more plausible, to match the requirements of Climate Science, and other Political causes.

If it wasn't Red Squirrels burying their nuts, who was?

In Britain we have benefitted from our Island status, but only for about 10,000 years or so.

"Recent pause in the growth rate of atmospheric CO2 due to enhanced terrestrial carbon uptake" http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13428

osseo, the next scare is about CO2 being a growth-rate performance-enhancing drug for the plant kingdom. Bindweed, Japanese Knotweed and Leylandii hedges on STEROIDS. Oooh-err P A N I C ! ! !

golfCharlie. Bindwind, pouf. Think about triffids.