Heck, a single family of beavers probably cuts down more trees each year than all the debris shelter makers in North America.
Yeah, we have a real problem around here when the beavers make
"practice dams" all the time.
I think the point you missed was that some people thought it unwise to cut live wood just for practice. Obviously wild animals are doing it to survive, not to test their skill. When your life really depends on it then cut away, but when you don't really need to cut live wood then why can't you just use dead fall?