Our forests are a dynamic renewable resource from which we can produce energy and serve the material needs of building, including exciting new structural applications. Are we making smart choices about that use? The choices we make about how these resources are managed and appropriately used require us to make sense of system dynamics with competing short and long term effects on climate. They impact regional and global environments and economies, local livelihoods, traditional craft and vernacular style, and the durability and longevity of what we build. They are sources of spiritual renewal, retreat and recreation, and are simultaneously resilient and fragile. We need to understand and appreciate the forest system in order to make smart choices about how it is used.