Trees were abundant when the US was first settled, representing a large store of fiber which could be used for paper as well as other products. As paper making became a big industry, it geared itself toward using trees which were seemingly abundant and renewable. As of 1990, the US consumed approximately 100 million tons of paper each year. This figure is only growing. There are many shortcomings to using trees as a paper source.
Trees are very energy and chemical intensive to turn into paper.
Chemical treatment of wood pulp to whiten fibers involves chlorine bleaching which creates dioxin, a family of compounds including some of the most potent carcinogens known. Recycling is only part of the solution toward more sustainable paper production. One ton of paper made form recycled paper instead of virgin wood pulp would also save 17 trees and enough energy to power the average American home for six months. As paper is continually recycled, fibers get shorter and weaker thereby making inferior papers. The average soft wood fiber can only be recycled five times before it is too short to make usable paper.