[Renze]

Originally Posted by Donman

Renze, where do you get the tree logs to cut into boards? I didn't know Holland had that many trees. I have never been there but my ancesters came from there.

Holland has a very diverse landscape. The province of Limburg is a tip inbetween Belgium and Germany, where the higest hill is are up to 320 meter high. There is a major calcium mine there, for a cement factory. traveling from the highest elevation of said province into the northwest, the elevation will gradually drop. The landscape will vary from river delta clay, to forests and heather fields, into the bottom of a former sea tongue enclosed in the land (minus 5 meter below sea level the famous polder) into a peat area of drained lakes in the mid west, into a sand dune row along the coast, which is higher than the middle part, with its riverdelta clay, and lakes and enclosed sea tongues that have been pumped dry.
That's why we say Nederland, and abroad they say Holland: when you make a section view of our country, its hollow: the hills of Germany and Belgium drop to below sea level, and rise again at the coast where the sea current has sedimented sand dunes thousands of years ago.

I live in the east, where there is very cheap dusty dry sand soil. Locally our ancestors have planted pines on the poorest soils, and fence rows along pastures are full of oaks that farmers grew for firewood.
Its a waste to burn all the mighty oaks in our stoves and meantime import expensive bangkirai from Indonesia. Oak is as good as any other tropical wood. Because farmers dont need the oaks for firewood anymore, many of these have grown much taller than desired for their original purpose (as a wind screen between pastures) which makes them excellent for lumber.