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[INSANEcyborg]

Supposedly creating large empty stockpiles of wood prompts the caravan to bring more of it. My observations of playing on a desert map myself seem to coincide with this conclusion.

I've tried that, and it didn't seem to help.  In my experience, it seems that the amount of wood they bring increases with your fortresses wealth, and decreases with how much you currently have in stock.  Its also limited by the free space of the caravan, so if its a Elf small caravan, or if you requested too many other things you won't get as much.  But its still just a theory, haven't gotten around to testing it yet.

[Elvang]

I make sure I have no wood before each caravan arrives, along with wood stockpiles. The elves bring 40-60 right now at 1.6mil fortress wealth, and I've traded with them a bit for some caged animals (not a lot). Humans and dwarves also currently bring 40-60 wood, along with 2-3 bars of each metal type, and bauxite/3 fuel types/2 flux types. Just request the same stuff each time, buying all of it and after a couple years, that's all they bring. Helps if you request enough item types that they can fill the caravan with it. I haven't offered anything to any of the caravans, and they only get about a 500-1000 dwarfbux profit (except for the elves, I cut it as close as I can with them while trading only querns). I've got so much of each every metal right now that I can probably handle any absurd metal requests by nobles for 20 years.

It might help that I embarked with a heavily forested biome. I figure they see I'm out of wood, a crap load of living trees on the surface, and think, "Gee, these guys deserve our help!". After they leave I immediately clearcut the forest, so a reasonable amount of trees has grown back by the time they visit again.

[AtomicPaperclip]

Well, having no wood is part of the challenge for a desert fort.

What does the rest of your situation look like? If you can hold out during the winter for the elves to arrive, they should bring quite a bit of wood.

I don't understand how people rely on elves for wood.

They only ever bring me cloth and the occasional sunberry or vermin in a cage.

[Elvang]

IIRC, giving the elves large profit margins/offerings causes them to only bring cloth, rather than the more useful cages, wooden weapons, shields, and plants. Try robbing them a couple times so your standing drops.