Saving paper = saving trees?

It seems obvious, doesn't it? If you use paper, and that paper comes from trees, then that means there are fewer trees, right?

Think about this: if you purchase a DVD player, does that mean that there is one less DVD player available out there in the warehouses? Are you depriving someone else of the ability to own a DVD player? No. You are creating a market demand. Instead of depriving the rest of the world of a DVD player, you're demanding that more DVD players be produced.

The same is true for trees. In America, the pulp we get for paper comes from trees that are specifically grown for that purpose. By purchasing and using paper (as well as lumber and other wood products) you are actually demanding that more trees be planted!

And those trees are in forests that are maintained by the paper companies to a much greater degree than our national forests. For example, in the Blue Mountains of Oregon, government mismanagement has resulted in the Ponderosa pines being ravaged by insect pests, and the forest ecosystem all but destroyed. But right next to it-literally just across the road-is a forest owned by Boise-Cascade. They've maintained the old-growth trees, kept the ecosystem functioning, allowed the public to enjoy it, and still used the forest to grow trees to make paper.

So if you love trees, use lots of paper!

Learn more about this author, Shane Killian.
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