The most valuable product of Astakos in the 19th century was the timber provided by the extensive local oak forests. At a time when sailing ships were the cornerstone of world power, securing good supplies of oak timber was a constant source of worry, especially for the English and the French. The latter feared that their country would perish for want of wood but soon discovered that oak from the forests of Akarnania was three times more durable than supplies from French forests. They purchased large quantities, especially during the Napoleonic Wars but when they occupied the Ionian Islands they ran afoul of Ali Pasha, the ruthless Ottoman ruler of western Greece.