Doesn the paper industry replant more trees than it cuts down?
Generally yes, but replanting trees is not the same thing as preserving forests. Growing demand for paper has fueled the rapid conversion of natural forests to tree plantations. In the U.S. South, where most of the trees used to make paper are grown, the area of natural pine forest declined from about 72 million acres in 1953 to 33 million acres in 1999. During the same period, pine plantations grew from 2 million acres to 32 million acres, and are projected to reach 54 million acres in 2040, in large part at the expense of natural forests. While pine plantations are excellent at growing wood, they are far less suited than natural forests to providing wildlife habitat and preserving biodiversity. By extending the overall fiber supply, paper recycling can help to reduce the pressure to convert remaining natural forests into tree farms.
