[@Rabidporcupine] Funny you should mention wood. I was developing this lore for another story, and I was wrestling with the lack of wood for quite a while. And I have to tell you, orcs had to get really creative in that story. The orcs who lived by the one or two rivers that flowed through the land would build whole cities out of mud, while those who lived in the middle of the dry desert would have to live underground, tough though it may be to dig through the clay. On the flipside of that coin, any dwelling they managed to dig out of the clay would be pretty sturdy. Additionally, their leader managed to forge trade treaties with a couple other orc tribes, trading away iron and other strategic metals for food (because they can't farm, remember) and other resources. Specifically, they traded with the northern orcs for fish, and the southern orcs near the more fertile Imperial border for vegetables and wood.

So, the lack of wood problem is solvable; it just takes a bit of creativity to work around.