How many sheets of paper can be made from a single tree?
For this question we turned to the Forest Products Association of Canada, which published the following response on its website (www.fpac.ca): This is often referred to as the “impossible question,” not only because of the number of variables involved (i.e. tree size, tree type, type of paper, paper weight), but because in general, trees are not harvested for the purpose of making paper. Nonetheless, we will attempt to provide a “ball-park” figure for this “very” frequently asked question. First a little background information on papermaking. In Canada, 50% of our paper is made from wood chips, a by-product of the lumber industry. These chips used to end up in landfills, decomposing and emitting methanea greenhouse gas associated with global warming. By using sawmill residues for papermaking, it is estimated that more than 60 million tonnes are being diverted from landfills each and every year. Another 25% of paper is actually made from recycled paper. Since 1989, the Canadian pulp and
