Im sure this is already answered somewhere, but I cant find it.

When I try to use different kinds of wood, it says something to the effect of: I dont know how to use this kind of wood.

Is using different wood types a quest or recipe? Or does it just require a certain level of carpentry skill?

Oh and the second part of the question...

To find rare wood when lumberjacking, do you have to have GM lumberjacking?

Yes and yes. To use all the different wood types, you need high enough carpentry skill. This also applies to simply turning wood into boards, you can't saw frostwood lumber into boards at under GM skill.

And to actually chop special woods, you need high lumberjacking skill. As I recall you need to be GM to get heartwood, bloodwood and frostwood.

the wood is parced out much like the ingots are with frostwood being the equivilent to valorite ore.

Higher the skill, higher the chance

the top 3 woods you have to be GM to use with carpentry, I believe. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this. I know for sure you have to be 95 for yew, and 80 for ash, 65 for oak.

Correct Bo, for Frost/Heart/Blood woods you need to be GM.

More info can be found here: http://www.uostuff.com/index.php?title=Wood

So Ive decided to turn this character into a lumberjack/carpenter/fletcher, a total woodworker lol.
Now the thing is I want to make him able to defend himself so I can go looking for rare wood later.
So my original template was this:

100- Lumberjack/Carpentry/Bowcraft
100- Swords (defense)
100- Resist spells (in case I accidentally chop a reaper lol)
100- Magery (healing, gating my packies, and zapping monsters)
50- Meditation
50- Eval Int (in case I do have to zap a monster)

But then, I saw my packhorse kill a mongbat and I thought, HEY! instead of swords, I could do tamer. (and Im not too sure about using swords without tactics and anatomy) So as a tamer... I could tame my own packies and tame a strong fighting mount. Then my pet could kill the baddies and protect me and my packies. So here is the new temp I am thinking..

100- Lumberjack/Carpentry/Bowcraft
100- Taming
100- Animal Lore
-----
80- Magery (now eclusively for healing and gating)
80- Veterinary
40- Resist spells or healing or something
-----

Those last 3 lines Im not too sure about. Maybe better to go 100 magery and 100 Vet.. But, should I use more than 80 on magery if it is for utility spells?
Or should I just stick with the original swords template?
Any advice would be very much appreciated!

I'd say go with 100 Magery. Less chances of failing your Gate Travelling.

Not 100% sure, but I think your Vet needs to be higher to rez your pets, and since 20 resist spells or 20 anything is either not necessary (if your human) or not worth it anyway, I'd bump Vet to 100 (I think you heal more each bandie too).