The likelihood is that the first uncommon resource you'll need in Stardew Valley is made of hardwood. It is necessary for the initial home improvement and is used to make a variety of crafting items. You need it greatly.
Large stumps are the most prevalent and dependable source of hardwood. Some of these stumps may be in your field, depending on the arrangement of your property. If not, you may find them at the northwest corner of Cindersap Forest, which is the region south of the farm, in the hidden forest. But first, you have to use a steel axe to remove a log in order to get there.
And here's what's crucial: A copper axe (upgraded at the blacksmith for 5 copper bars) is required to break through the stumps, and a steel axe (upgraded at the blacksmith for 5 iron bars) is required to reach the most dependable supply in the hidden forest.
If you want to harvest a lot of hardwood, you should concentrate on sharpening your axe. But, there are other methods to get it; you could just be giving yourself more headaches in the process.
On your land, plant mahogany trees
Using mahogany seeds, you may cultivate mahogany trees, a less frequent tree kind, on the Stardew Valley farm. The most significant characteristic of them is that when you hack them down, you get hardwood. These may be obtained in many locations, but can be obtained most consistently by taking down giant trunks or slimes in the hidden forest (again, better axes are needed for this).
If fortune favors you with their discovery here or elsewhere (like inside a golden coconut), you may begin your mahogany farm by planting it in the same manner as you would any other tree. After it reaches a certain size, you may either cut it down with a regular axe or leave it alone and shake it periodically to release additional mahogany seeds, which will allow you to produce new trees.
One issue with this procedure is that mahogany trees grow at different rates. They have an opportunity to go to the next development stage every night, but it's not a given. The tree has a better chance, but it's still not 100% if you fertilize it. If it is fertilized, there is a 60% likelihood that it will advance to the next stage, compared to 15% if it is not. This implies that it may take a few days to have a fully grown tree, or it could take a lot longer.
But, if you have a healthy grove established on your property, it will be simpler to keep the population in check and harvest them as necessary, providing you with a steady supply of hardwood.
On Ginger Island, trim mahogany trees
Ginger Island in Stardew Valley contains mahogany trees growing naturally. This implies that you may easily visit the island and gather a sizable amount of mahogany and hardwood seeds.
Of course, this is a convenient supply of the material, but building a stockpile won't happen much faster thanks to it. That's because getting to Ginger Island requires fixing the boat. You'll need 200 hardwood and a lot of other stuff to restore the boat.
Though you should keep it in mind, you should normally have hardwood on hand by this time in the game.
A skill for lumberjacks
Leveling up your Foraging talent will get you access to the Lumberjack skill, which is another good source of hardwood. Just cutting down trees or gathering natural plants from the surroundings might elevate foraging.
Once you have attained level five in foraging, you must first choose the Forester talent. After your foraging skill reaches level 10, you may choose to use the Lumberjack skill. Every tree you cut down with it has the potential to provide hardwood. This means that you will always get a passive supply of the resource simply by going about your daily business, even though it still makes gathering a consistent supply challenging.
However, to restate, the enormous stumps that sprout again in the hidden forest are the finest source of hardwood in Stardew Valley. To get access to them, you must first improve your axe.