We grew up hearing about the various "ages" of humankind: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and more. Our shift from stones to metallurgy certainly made a difference in human development, but biologist Roland Ennos says we're leaving something out: wood.
Once we stopped hanging out in trees, we found other uses for them. Ennos lays out the case in his book The Age of Wood: Our Most Useful Material and the Construction of Civilization.
Grab a chair (probably made at least partly of wood) and listen to details of the book (printed on paper made from pulped wood).