Quote Originally Posted by Garick View Post
The Black Forest in Germany is mostly pines and firs, including Douglas Fir, yet German medieval furniture is also mostly oak as are beams in castle construction. Clearly, it was a concious choice, and not just "oak is handy."
This really gets off-topic, but those pines and firs have been planted because they grow faster. Earlier, the Black Forest contained a mixture of oaks, beeches and firs.