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timber  noun - wood prepared for use in building and carpentry

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Probably you think that if you somehow got into a forest 500 or 1 000 years ago it would be overgrown and barely passable. But this is not true. Until the end of the Medieval ages, most people spent a lot of time managing the forests near them for the advantages they gave.

People fueled their homes with wood. They used them for heating water and their houses and for cooking. They built with wood, made furniture, and other items. But for the wood to be extracted a lot of care needed to be done by the people.  

Forests were carefully cleared from ground coverings for easier access. Trees were directed in different ways depending on the needs of people for timber. 

Also, richer people often started fires to clear areas of the woods to use for hunting. This way places where their gain can feed and be easily spotted. 

Forests were used as extensions to people’s gardens and fields for the majority of humans’ history. They received a great portion of the products needed for survival from forests.

What medieval forests looked like?