ARBOR DAY/ALL YEAR

IT'S OK TO USE TREES

When you think about a forest, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the trees and some of the obvious products that it produces, products such as the many forms of paper that we use daily in our lives. Also include in this list of products would be the card board boxes used for shipping of these many and varied products. Many of us would also think about the wood that is used to build our homes. Even the landscaping bark mulch is a product of trees.

The list of products, some which are less obvious, that come from trees is quite large. If fact, there have been identified over 2000 products, at least in part, that is made from trees. Products seldom thought of as a product from a tree are cellophane, rayon clothing, photographic film, cosmetics and even some medicines.

The wood from trees has some unique properties that make it one of natures ideal products. Trees are not only a renewable resource but trees and the products they make can be recycled. Recycling in turn uses less amount of energy to remake certain products.

When we harvest a tree, the forest product industry uses virtually every part of the tree, even the bark. The branches are left in the woods to naturally decompose to help in maintaining the soil. The sawdust left after producing lumber will be used to help generate power. Little, if anything, is wasted in the manufacturing of the many products made from trees.

Wood is the only renewable building material used in the United States and is more energy efficient than steel or aluminum. Wood, as an insulator, is 400 times that of steel. Trees also improve the air we breath. The carbon dioxide that is produced from manufacturers is used by the trees to produce the oxygen we breath.

In addition to being a major source of wood products, trees and the forests they grow in, are a major source of income. Many jobs across United States depend directly or indirectly with forests and forest products. Yes, it is OK to use the trees of our forests.