Discussion over in r/europe where its apparent that the British Isles are quite deforested relative to most of Europe.
A trope that was wheeled out repeatedly was that this was caused by the Royal Navy consuming trees to build ships.
I find this a bit unlikely as forests re-grow pretty quickly and in anycase, you don't chop down all the trees, even young saplings, to build ships.
I'd think it more likely that forests were cleared to make way for grazing and arable land.
What'd the truth of it?
Hi there, I've written about deforestation a few times in the past, particularly these threads:
The most basic answer to your question is that there's no doubt that agricultural clearances, charcoal-making, and use of trees for firewood contributed to deforestation, but that the crisis of timber around 1800 or so was understood by contemporaries to be primarily about shipbuilding, and that Britain was not only importing oak, but also building ships in its colonies, particularly India, at a furious pace.
I find this a bit unlikely as forests re-grow pretty quickly and in anycase, you don't chop down all the trees, even young saplings, to build ships.
HMS Victory needed something on the order of 6,000 mature oak trees for her hull, not to mention the pine and other softwoods used for masts and decks and fittings. The problem with deforestation wasn't one that could be solved by waiting 10 or so years; the very large oaks needed for the structural members of the hull would not regrow for a hundred years or more.