While lumber is essential to building houses, furniture and other items, other parts of the tree yield some 1,200 products, he says. This involves striking a balance between conserving and using natural resources, he says. According to the Forestry Association, trees provide ingredients for insecticides, molded plastics and tar. From bark are produced certain oils and dyes. Resins from wood are used to make soaps, floor polish, disinfectants, crayons and wax.
Pulpwood is found in cellophane, rayon, film and hundreds of other articles.
Wood products are the most common. Lumber for the building trades, pallets for shipping and veneer for home furnishings provide for a strong consumer-driven market, Lee says. In the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, the woodworking trade is healthy with companies churning out these products every day. John Capozzi's business, Capozzi Custom Cabinets, makes cabinets, home-entertainment centers and other wood products at its Leavittsburg, Ohio, shop. His company handles both commercial and residential accounts.