There are plenty of trees, however, and people lived and burned wood in Siberia long before the Russians conquered it. Many years ago, most Russian houses did not have floors, but those in Siberia required it since the ground would freeze the feet of people inside the houses. Siberia is normally known as the Lungs of Europe, and it is one of the most densely wooded areas in the world.
Russia is famous for being really cold, so without adequate winter shelter, it's impossible to live here. The days get very short during the winter (and in the summer, very long), so in the past, before adequate indoor lighting, this meant a lot less time for meaningful work. You do not even have to go to Siberia for it to reach -50 degrees Fahrenheit, as it regularly used to happen in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. I say "used to" because a winter that cold hasn't happened in a long time. The climate is actually heating up quite a bit. I have heard from my friends that it is colder in Chicago right now than it is in Moscow. What may be more surprising, however, is that I have heard from my parents that it is also colder in Arkansas than it is in Moscow! I'm feeling irked that I bought all these new winter clothes just for it to be not even freezing yet.
This may be an unusual point of view, but Russia actually looks kindly upon global warming because their sea ports are opening up from the diminishing ice and their winters aren't quite as miserable. That's not to say that global warming is a good thing, but so far they are seeing some of the only positive effects from it, so they have a unique point of view.
