Dr. Bret Devereaux

But securing the timber supply could be a really critical strategic concern.

Yeah.

For these sorts of states, if you don't have local supplies of timber.

Now, other major naval powers often did.

Just if you're France, you know, you have enough wood of your own.

You know, both Rome and Carthage can use local timbers.

And if people are scratching their heads wondering how Carthage, located in North Africa, can use local timbers, the word you're looking to Google is desertification.

North Africa was rather greener in antiquity than it is now because the Sahara Desert keeps expanding.

But it was not very green, but it was greener.

It had forests.

Concern here about maintaining timber is obviously a very real concern.

And we get the sense that Numenor is not necessarily abundantly blessed with tall trees that make hardwood.

Ship timbers are finicky.

There are parts of the world that just don't have them.

Like Egypt has trees, but it, for instance, has no native ship timbers.

And of course, at the same time, we also hear that Aldarion is really concerned about what forests Numenor does have.

Right.

He's the keeper of the forest for quite some time.

And, you know, he's always planting trees.

Although to the annoyance of his wife, he's also always cutting them down.