Wood is a sine qua non factor in human history. Our primate ancestors lived in trees. And once we started doing woodwork, technological development kept rolling forward.
Tools & Fire & Shelters & Weapons & Boats & Ships & Housing & Furniture & Kitchenware & Carts & Wagons & Boardwalks & Bridges & Musical instruments & Plywood & Paper.
Wood charcoal was used in furnaces to make metal for tools with wooden handles that were used to harvest more wood.
Watermills were used to turn sawmills that cut wood to make watermills.
Even though the Industrial Revolution ushered in new energy sources and building materials, civilization still demands copious amounts of wood. Can it be sourced and transported in a sustainably eco-friendly way? It will have to.