Wood

Wood is a solid organic element used as both a building material and a fuel source. It is one of the few elements that can stand in for mineral construction materials, making it especially useful in the early game when metal and refined materials are still limited.

Its most common uses are straightforward:

• It can be used to build Ladder, Cot, Outhouse, and Drywall.
• It can be burned in a Wood Heater to generate power.
• It can be fed into an Ice Liquefier as fuel.
• It can also be used as an ingredient in food processing and other machinery that consumes wood as an input.

Because Wood is a general-purpose construction resource, it is valuable for rapid base expansion. The ability to substitute it for several basic structures makes it convenient when a colony has access to a renewable wood supply but not enough mined materials. This also means Wood is often reserved for structures and buildings that do not need more specialized resources.

As a fuel, Wood has a clear advantage in that it is easy to stockpile and use. The Wood Heater converts it directly into power, making it a simple backup option for colonies that want to avoid running their main generators constantly. It is also useful in the Ice Liquefier, where it serves as an input for cooling-related processing.

Wood can be produced from plant-based sources, so colonies with a managed planting setup can treat it as a renewable resource rather than a finite one. That makes it particularly attractive in colonies that already invest in agriculture and want a material that can support both construction and industry. Since it is also an organic element, it fits naturally into colonies that rely on renewable production chains instead of ore refining.

In practice, Wood is best thought of as a flexible early- to mid-game commodity: it helps fill gaps in construction, provides a dependable fuel option, and supports some specialized machines. Keeping a reserve of it is worthwhile, especially if a colony depends on plant production for long-term sustainability.