For the past hundreds of years, trees grew naturally, slowly, and were cut down only when large enough to make useful planks. This was true wordwide.

Around forty or 50 years ago, the demand for building timber increased rapidly, and existing forests were soon used up. Quick growing species were planted and harvested after just a few years. This resulted in soft weak wood, with no character or pretty grain.

The picture compares old and new wood. Look at the interesting grain and colour of the ancient timber.

This is why we salvage 50 or 100 year old beams from house rebuilds or recycling yards. The wood is tougher and more beautiful than modern timber. Many 1950s bungalows have window frames made from Mahogany, and builders often just burn them. And that leads on to the clearing of the Amazon Rain Forests, where hardwoods like Mahogany grew.