'The oak tree has long provided people in Britain with a wonderful natural resource. In this book the authors reclaim the disappearing forestry and carpentry skills of our ancestors and show how, in an era of climate change, oak can continue to enrich our future as a key element in an ecologically rich countryside'. This book explores how people managed and exploited oakwoods since Neolithic times, and the skills required in the use of timbers for ship-building, furniture and constructing houses. The appendix contains a list of historic and named oak trees in Britain compiled from 18th and 19th century sources and drawing on the work of N D G James.