Forests are one of our most treasured resources...but
they are disappearing at the rate of 20 football fields per second
because of pulp and paper production. When we lose forests we lose their
ability to filter our water, provide habitat for thousands of species,
trap carbon and provide us with fresh air.
Deforestation in North America
Nearly 50% of all trees harvested in North America are turned into
some type of paper product. This has put tremendous pressure on the Canadian Boreal Forest as well as forests in Southeastern US. Every day, diverse, natural forests are
either destroyed all together, or converted to monoculture, industrial
tree plantations that often grow genetically modified (GMO) trees (picture from The Green Press Initiative).
Deforestation Around the Globe
The problem of deforestation is a global problem. The tree pulp for paper comes from places around the world, including Indonesia (especially Sumatra as the video shows), as well as large parts of South America .
The Forest-Saving Alternative: Recycled Paper
Despite the rise of digitized media, global production in the pulp,
paper and publishing sector is expected to increase over the coming
years. Increasing the use of recycled paper, decreases the need for
cutting down trees, whether from endangered forests or from tree
plantations. We must act now to preserve our forests by using
post-consumer recycled paper that reduces the need to log our precious
and endangered forests.
Source : betterpapers
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