Environmental Briefing Book, Competitive Enterprise Institute
dassmann@sirius.com
Fri, 22 Jan 1999 16:15:13 -0500
Your environment briefing book for congressional candidates
contains inaccurate information about both the amount of timber in the
United States and the impact of recycling on timber. According to the U.S.
Forest Service,in a report entitled An Analysis of the Timber Situation in
the United States, "Trends for the past 40 years indicate a decline in
timberland area for the Nation as a whole. This trend is expected to
continue in the future, and by 2040, there is expected to be a net loss of
21 million acres of timberland."
Furthermore, paper recycling can have a direct positive impact by
reducing the destruction of forests. 42% of the timber harvested nationwide
(7.6 billion cubic feet of timber) ends up as pulpwood to be used for paper
and paper products. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the demand for
wood for paper is growing by 25% during this decade. If 45% of our paper
came from recycled paper, we could save 2.5 billion cubic feet of timber
(and millions of trees) a year by 2040.
David Assmann
Public Outreach Coordinator
San Francisco Recycling Program