lol they are getting a premium do the the fact that old growth timber
tended to be tighter grained and straighter grained (better quality).
growing conditions HAVE changed in the last 2 to 4 hundred years
that wood still has to be dried (IT DOES NOT COME OUT OF THE WATER
DRY!) altho the sap has been leached out


they also soaked wood before they bent it, today steam is generaly
used to do the same thing