Did you know that “organic aspirin comes from willows and that rayon fabric is made largely from wood pulp?” In an article entitled, “Forest heroes: it begins with logging,” educator, forester, and wildlife biologist Bill Cook reports that “Thousands of products that we use every day are made from wood or have wood elements in them.” And that “the only truly renewable and sustainable raw material is wood.” Use it.

• “Forests grow back after a harvest. Other natural resources such as metal ores, coal, petroleum, and natural gas do not grow back.
• A managed forest landscape captures solar energy, extracts carbon at no financial cost to us, and produces a wide range of goods and environmental services, including wood, water, and habitat.
• The extraction, processing, manufacturing and eventual disposal of wood products take far less energy, carbon, and water than other raw materials.
• Few industries are scrutinized as closely as the forest industry. Yet, few industries have as many collateral benefits as logging and the forest industry.”

Bottom line: “Every material thing we use begins with extraction of natural resources, and ends with disposal. Wood, by any measure, is the most environmentally-friendly raw material at our disposal. An environmentally-conscious person ought to be favoring wood use over other natural resources … .”

Visit www.msue.msu.edu to read the article in its entirety.