Why the US Navy Manages Its Own Private Forest

I was raised with wooden boats. I learned countless skills to build and maintain them, skills that are no longer needed except in rare cases. One of our Sea Scout boats, an Army surplus air/sea rescue boat, was built of white oak frames and double planked with mahogany. It could navigate any storm. Indeed, we once rescued another craft during a hurricane on the Chesapeake Bay (more dangerous than a hurricane in open seas)