Peter Young over at Digital Printing sent in this piece:
CONSIDER THESE FACTS ABOUT THE WOOD USED IN PAPER PRODUCTION…
More Forests Exist Today: 12 million more acres of forest exist in the U.S. today than 20 years ago.
More Trees are Standing Today: 49% increase between 1953 and 2006 in the number of trees still standing after mortality and harvesting.
More Trees are Planted Daily: 1.7 million trees are planted every day by the U.S. paper and forest products industry; and 600 million annually worldwide.
Fiber Content is Tracked: FSC and SFI track fiber content from certified lands through production and manufacturing to the end product. There are certified forests in over 80 countries.
Fiber Sources Must Be Declared: The Lacy Act of 2010 states that a declaration must be made by the importer of paper to assure that paper did not come from illegally sourced fiber.
And from the Chooseprint.org Web site:
There are many misconceptions about the environmental impact of print on paper. Since printers and their suppliers use natural resources—trees—as the starting point of their products, many people think that by forgoing printing, they are saving trees and making the right choice for the environment. However, the exact opposite is true.
Print Values Trees
Most paper now comes from sustainable forests. These sustainable forests are essentially “tree farms,” where trees are grown as a crop, just like broccoli or wheat. When these trees are harvested, new stocks are planted. Print gives landowners a financial incentive to renew forests rather than convert them for other uses…
Its true that both Peter and I have vested interests in printing on paper, but its always good to get some facts so you can feel good about reading Parking Today or using a printed ticket when you enter a garage. Look at it this way – you should feel no more guilty about reading a magazine printed on paper than eating your broccoli or a banana. They all come from crops that are farmed, renewed, and are Green.
JVH
