In our era of ecological and environmental awakening, the question of paper or plastic bags should be taken, and considered seriously. It is a question of environmental impact, and it should be the responsibility of us all to make the most ecologically aware, and sound decision.
Paper comes from trees, and the pulpwood tree industry is large.
It begins with logging, where select trees are found, marked, and felled. After they're cut, roads are built into the forest on which the large machinery, used to load and transport the timber, can be moved. It can take over a century for nature to recover from even a small logging operation. Let it be added further that a large amount of heavy machinery is used, all having its own story on how it came to be, all needing its own upkeep, and all needing its own fossil fuel, to operate. On top of this, there is the human element.