Is this a stupid question - is there a way to stop your villagers chopping down certain areas of woodland? Can you create 'no-forestry' zones? And if not would this be a useful tool to introduce?

I'm by no means a pro AOE player but I have been playing it since it came out in '99. I was playing a game with friends over the weekend and I thought it might be useful to be able to zone-off areas of trees so your villagers ignore them. In most cases so that you can use the trees as a natural wall.

You might even already be able to do this somehow? but if not do you think it would be a useful thing to add? I'm well aware that pro players don't rely on building walls but for us slower guys it would really help to make sure your villagers don't undermine your defences by cutting through an area of woodland that you were using as a wall. Next thing you know the enemy has smuggled an army though a tiny tree-sized gap and is massacring your villagers.