Start with the first pack, but set a stop rule
Players describe the cheapest pack as a quick way to cycle basic cards and recover enough value to keep the loop moving. The mistake is buying pack after pack for one exact card while the board fills with everything else. Decide in advance how many attempts you can afford, keep the useful results, then switch to missions or exploration if Wood still does not appear.
Use Forest routes when the camp loop stalls
Launch-week players report Trees, Apples and other useful materials on Forest routes. A route costs Adventure Points, so plan more than one outcome: collect Wood-related cards, defeat Trainers, advance the Stackpedia and bring back anything that can fund the next trip.
Keep Trees and Apples in the production loop
Do not sell every Tree or Apple just because the current mission asks for coins. Players report using Apples to grow more Trees, while patch 9.0.74 confirms that Trees can also produce Eppla Fruits. A working Tree can therefore support both the Wood loop and food supply.
Progress toward Lumber House
Players point to construction missions and mountain progression as the path toward Lumber House. One launch-week recipe report names 2 Trees, 3 Wood, 1 Iron Ingot and a worker, but this is not an official current recipe. Check the recipe shown in your game before spending the materials.
Upgrade before the last use when possible
Players report combining duplicate Structures to create a higher-level version. Patch 9.0.78 also changed Lumber House so it becomes Depleted rather than disappearing. Watch the remaining-use counter, read the upgrade or restoration prompt, and avoid losing momentum by waiting until the board is already empty.
Protect the materials that restart production
Keep a small reserve of Wood, Twigs, Trees, Coal and any current construction ingredient. Selling the final copy can create a loop where you need a pack to rebuild the tool that would have produced the resource. The live mission and recipe cards should decide what stays, not a universal fixed inventory number.
If you are stuck with no Wood and no AP
Pause pack spending and inspect Professor missions for an achievable request. Players report those missions as an important AP source. Complete the cheapest available objective, convert the reward as the current card instructs, then spend the recovered AP on a trip that can return several useful resources rather than Wood alone.