|
Wood is a green product, and here are some reasons why.
Wood is renewable
We can grow it again and again, and so long as we
maintain a land base large enough to grow the wood we need, we will never run
out of wood. We cannot grow more aluminum or steel or concrete or plastic.
Wood is also recyclable.
We can use it again and again, in the form of paper and packing materials.
There are limits to the number of times a product can be recycled, but we are
learning more all the time about how to extend the life of wood fiber.
Wood is also biodegradable,
which means we can safely dispose of it once it has outlived its usefulness.
It returns to the soil, from whence it came, just like any other plant.
Wood is energy efficient.
It takes less energy to manufacture a pound of wood than is required to
manufacture a pound of steel, aluminum, concrete orplastic. Wood is also more
energy efficient in its use than are products made from steel, aluminum,
concrete or plastic.
Wood is also friendlier to the environment.
Its manufacturing processes release fewer toxins into the air, water and soil
than are released by processes associated with steel, aluminum, concrete or
plastic.
The environmental advantages wood offers teach an important lesson for all who
are concerned about the environment and the economy. Simply put, we need to be
very sure we are asking the right questions, and getting the right answers.
HOW MUCH IS THAT
How big is a million acres, and how much is a billion board feet? Hard concepts
to visualize, aren't they. Well, try these comparisons on for size.
A million acres: There are 640 acres in one square mile. So, one million acres
is 1,562 square miles...a square about 40 miles by 40 miles. The nation's
wilderness system spans about 85 million acres, or 132,812 square miles...a
square about 364 miles by 364 miles.
Still having trouble? Try football fields. A football field covers about
1.2 acres, end zone to end zone and sideline to sideline. Divide one million
acres by 1.2 acres abd you will see there are 833,333 football fields in one
million acres.
A billion board feet: The easiest way to visualize board feet is by the log
truck load. An average log load is about 5,000 board feet, log scale, which
in large, high quality logs equals about 10,000 board feet, lumber scale.
So, one billion board feet of standing timber (log scale) will generate about
two billion board feet of lumber (lumber scale).
Now vsualize an average-size three bedroom home. It takes about 15000 board
feet (lumber scale) to build this house. How many houses like this could you
build if you had a billion board feet of standing timber. Divide 15,000 into
two billion. The answer is about 133,333 houses, or about 11% of all the new
homes constructed in america in an average year.
WISCONSIN'S
ANNUAL TIMBER HARVEST
Wisconsin's Timber Harvest
| Pulpwood | 2,2,00,000 cords |
| Sawlogs | 400,000,000 bd ft |
| Veneer logs | 22,000,000 bd ft |
| Fuelwood | 1,900,000 cords |
| Christmas trees | 3,200,000 trees |
| Residue & Chips | 400,000 cords |
| Miscellaneous | 3,500,000 cubic ft |
1985 data
The net annual consumer value of Wisconsin's timber harvest is an estimated
$361 million.
These Are A Few Of The More Than 5,000 Products of Everyday Life That
Are Made From Trees.
| Facial tissue | Paper towels | Hairspray |
| Liquid nail polish | Laxatives | Fruits & nuts |
| Linoleum | Tires | Medicated hog feed |
| Fish feed | Soil additive | Buckets |
| World globes | Popsicles sticks | Flooring |
| Kitchen cabinets | Gunstocks | School desks |
| Golf club heads | Bowling alley lanes | Grocery sacks |
| Milk containers | Egg cartons | Buttons |
| Oxygen | Magazines | Bowling pins |
| Photographic slides | Fuel | Rayon |
| Cellophane | Alcohol | piano keys |
| Lacquer | Artificial snow | Adhesives |
| Medicine | Artificial flavoring | Vinegar |
| Cosmetics | Insecticides | Ceramics |
| Sausage casings | Fungicides | Acetic acid |
| Charcoal | Rubber tires | Foam rubber |
| Cider | Masking tape | Guitars |
|
