The uses for this wood are many. As the principal material for building houses, it is used for framing members, insulation board, floor and roof decking sheathing, siding, frames, paneling, trim, finished floors, and cabinets. Furniture also is largely made of wood. When wood is turned into paper, it packages food and carries messages. Wood even is used in the production of photographic film, rayon fabrics, molded interior door panels for automobiles, and high-impact plastics.
Wood also is an important industrial fuel.
Wood byproducts, in addition, provide chemicals used as additives to concrete, paints, and adhesives. Wood is strong, lightweight, versatile, abundant, and renewable. It can be converted to finished products with the use of far less energy than most other industrial materials. Because of its inherent advantages, and because of growing world populations and increasing standards of living, demand for wood is growing. Per capita consumption of wood in the United States grew by over 30 percent between 1970 and 1987 with significant future increases predicted.