Let's find out. All of the above 5. Almost 60 percent of the commercial forestland in this country is owned by non-industrial private landowners. We have more trees today in the Lake States than we had 50 years ago. Timber growth in the Lake States exceeds harvest and losses from insects and disease by 90 percent 4.
Wood is less energy intensive than all three competing materials.
Most products are made with small requirements for fossil fuels compared with substitutes. For example, it takes about 0.2 ton of coal to process a ton of wood vs. 10 tons of coal for a ton of aluminum and two tons for steel. With today's technology, almost 100 percent of a tree can be used in the manufacturing process for wood and paper products. The industry has designed processes that use tree bark for steam and electricity, sawdust and wood chips for manufacturing pulp used to make paper, and wood shavings to make particle board and composite panels for construction. All Rights Reserved.