So what actually is paper?
Let us just take a moment to define what is meant by 'paper'. Paper is the macerated and re-formed mass of long-chained cellulose molecules (C6 H10 O5 n) derived from plant fibres, principally from trees, but also from seed hairs (generally cotton), grass stems (esparto, flax, hemp), or materials made from these same sources for other purposes (tee-shirt trimmings, old clothing, ships sails, ropes, Boy Scouts), and of course paper and cardboard that has already been made and used, and is fit to be made into paper and board once again. Recycling, the myths and legends, is an important matter that will be tackled in a later theme. A particularly valuable source of fibre comes from forest thinnings and saw mill and lumber yard waste (sawdust and offcuts). The latter is self-explanatory, but what is meant by 'forest thinnings'.
For every commercially cultivated tree that is cut down at the optimum time in it's life, from a responsibly managed forest, usually three saplings are planted in its place. The bulk of the tree ends up at a timber mill (where pulp mills get the sawdust & offcuts from), the green and thin branches/twiggy bits, are left on the ground for environmental use by Mother Nature, and as they break down and degrade, become natural fertiliser for the forest floor. Medium sized branches that have little or no value for timber production are generally sent to the pulp mills. Only one of the three saplings that are planted to replace the original 'harvested' tree will be allowed to grow to maturity, because as time goes on, just like people, some grow long and skinny, some more slowly and spread out rather too much, while others might grow straight and tall. The prime young trees are left to grow in peace, while those that are not doing so well and are a drain on the natural resources (nutrients from the forest floor, rainwater, sunlight) are cleared to allow the better tree to flourish. This is not done all in one go throughout a particular forest or plantation, but is a continuous process, usually over the first two or three decades of the forest life-cycle, which, subject to type of tree and geographical location, can be as long as sixty to eighty years. The 'lesser' specimens are frequently used for paper pulp production. The time periods are symbolic rather than actual, because different types of tree (which offer different types of fibre) grow at different rates/speeds, dependent of geographical location. As a 'rule of thumb' Eucalyptus trees can grow anything from 6 - 12 feet a year (questionable but I found the figure on an Australian arboriculture website, and they ought to know!); while Sitka Spruce (favoured for its long fibres) at 60 inches a year (five feet, really?), Aspen comes in at 2½ feet a year; Lodge-Pole pine (an American favourite) 1 foot to 3 feet per annum; and Silver Birch at a mere foot-and-a-half.
The vast majority of paper and board available commercially today is made from wood, i.e. trees and sawmill waste. But before Greenpeace or Friends Of The Earth eco-warriors get on their high horses, (a) I too am an environmental conservationist, (b) trees from the rapidly diminishing tropical rain forest are NOT used for paper-making, but are generally used for timber production, and even more sickeningly, either not used at all, just slash and burn mentality style of thing, for the sake of the land they stand on for farming, and that pernicious of things, Palm Oil production, said to have destroyed more forest in the Far East than that destroyed in the Amazon Basin for cattle farming. 'Chain saw logging' as it is known to those in the illegal logging monitoring and prevention community (this is where my involvement lays), is practiced by individuals with a voracious appetite in the illegal market for hardwood timber. Commercial logging of tropical rain forests (and sub-tropical areas of old-growth forests) is devastating but licensed by (frequently corrupt or inept) governments. Besides all of this, tropical timber is so tough, that it is uneconomical or impractical to even try and turn it into paper pulp.
However, in certain parts of the World (presently Indonesia and Malaysia are in the spotlight) huge corporations are taking advantage of forest clearance schemes to plant Eucalyptus and Radiata Pine which grow incredibly quickly, to use for pulp and then paper production. That these same corporations were also responsible for the land clearance in the first place is often either not understood, or ignored. Thus, a company like Sinar Mas in Indonesia can put their hands on their hearts and say "We do not use tropical rainforest hardwood trees to make our papers", but they are responsible for clearing the land and creating the commercial forests that feed their huge pulp and paper mills. For this reason as much as any other, one should avoid buying/using/specifying papers from certain companies in certain parts of the Far East (I know there is a bullet with my name written on it should I ever push my luck and visit Malaya!).
Finally, before I get off my environmental conservationist hobby horse, as previously mentioned, even greater areas of rainforest are now being cleared to make way for palm oil plantations which have a devastating effect on the local wildlife and indigenous peoples, and by boycotting products that contain palm oil (witness Greenpeace's campaign against Nestlé for putting palm oil in Kit-Kat bars, and the frozen food store chain ICELAND, with their aim to remove palm oil from all of their 'own brand' products. Their T.V. advert was banned in the U.K. for political reasons, but it is on YouTube and millions of people have sat and watched it and been suitably moved). Concerned individuals can have a greater impact than if they insisted that all paper and board should be made out of old paper and used cardboard boxes (you can't always make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!).
For every commercially cultivated tree that is cut down at the optimum time in it's life, from a responsibly managed forest, usually three saplings are planted in its place. The bulk of the tree ends up at a timber mill (where pulp mills get the sawdust & offcuts from), the green and thin branches/twiggy bits, are left on the ground for environmental use by Mother Nature, and as they break down and degrade, become natural fertiliser for the forest floor. Medium sized branches that have little or no value for timber production are generally sent to the pulp mills. Only one of the three saplings that are planted to replace the original 'harvested' tree will be allowed to grow to maturity, because as time goes on, just like people, some grow long and skinny, some more slowly and spread out rather too much, while others might grow straight and tall. The prime young trees are left to grow in peace, while those that are not doing so well and are a drain on the natural resources (nutrients from the forest floor, rainwater, sunlight) are cleared to allow the better tree to flourish. This is not done all in one go throughout a particular forest or plantation, but is a continuous process, usually over the first two or three decades of the forest life-cycle, which, subject to type of tree and geographical location, can be as long as sixty to eighty years. The 'lesser' specimens are frequently used for paper pulp production. The time periods are symbolic rather than actual, because different types of tree (which offer different types of fibre) grow at different rates/speeds, dependent of geographical location. As a 'rule of thumb' Eucalyptus trees can grow anything from 6 - 12 feet a year (questionable but I found the figure on an Australian arboriculture website, and they ought to know!); while Sitka Spruce (favoured for its long fibres) at 60 inches a year (five feet, really?), Aspen comes in at 2½ feet a year; Lodge-Pole pine (an American favourite) 1 foot to 3 feet per annum; and Silver Birch at a mere foot-and-a-half.
The vast majority of paper and board available commercially today is made from wood, i.e. trees and sawmill waste. But before Greenpeace or Friends Of The Earth eco-warriors get on their high horses, (a) I too am an environmental conservationist, (b) trees from the rapidly diminishing tropical rain forest are NOT used for paper-making, but are generally used for timber production, and even more sickeningly, either not used at all, just slash and burn mentality style of thing, for the sake of the land they stand on for farming, and that pernicious of things, Palm Oil production, said to have destroyed more forest in the Far East than that destroyed in the Amazon Basin for cattle farming. 'Chain saw logging' as it is known to those in the illegal logging monitoring and prevention community (this is where my involvement lays), is practiced by individuals with a voracious appetite in the illegal market for hardwood timber. Commercial logging of tropical rain forests (and sub-tropical areas of old-growth forests) is devastating but licensed by (frequently corrupt or inept) governments. Besides all of this, tropical timber is so tough, that it is uneconomical or impractical to even try and turn it into paper pulp.
However, in certain parts of the World (presently Indonesia and Malaysia are in the spotlight) huge corporations are taking advantage of forest clearance schemes to plant Eucalyptus and Radiata Pine which grow incredibly quickly, to use for pulp and then paper production. That these same corporations were also responsible for the land clearance in the first place is often either not understood, or ignored. Thus, a company like Sinar Mas in Indonesia can put their hands on their hearts and say "We do not use tropical rainforest hardwood trees to make our papers", but they are responsible for clearing the land and creating the commercial forests that feed their huge pulp and paper mills. For this reason as much as any other, one should avoid buying/using/specifying papers from certain companies in certain parts of the Far East (I know there is a bullet with my name written on it should I ever push my luck and visit Malaya!).
Finally, before I get off my environmental conservationist hobby horse, as previously mentioned, even greater areas of rainforest are now being cleared to make way for palm oil plantations which have a devastating effect on the local wildlife and indigenous peoples, and by boycotting products that contain palm oil (witness Greenpeace's campaign against Nestlé for putting palm oil in Kit-Kat bars, and the frozen food store chain ICELAND, with their aim to remove palm oil from all of their 'own brand' products. Their T.V. advert was banned in the U.K. for political reasons, but it is on YouTube and millions of people have sat and watched it and been suitably moved). Concerned individuals can have a greater impact than if they insisted that all paper and board should be made out of old paper and used cardboard boxes (you can't always make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!).