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or every tree that is harvested in a well-managed forest, several more are replanted or naturally regenerated. And as young trees grow, they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Furthermore, as a wood-based product, paper also continues to store carbon throughout its lifetime. There are a number of credible and independent certification systems ensuring that paper certified under them comes from a responsibly managed forest source. All Domtar’s harvested forests and facilities are certified under either the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC®), Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Certification of sustainable forest management continues to increase every year. The three major U.S. certification systems (SFI, FSC and American Tree Farm System) together certify more than 107 million acres, representing 14 percent of total U.S. forests. Some 25 percent of private U.S. forestland is now certified.1 Sustainable forest management is contributing to carbon sequestration and storage. In the United States, the total carbon sequestered by forests and the creation of wood products during the 1990s reached almost 200 megatons per year – around 10 percent of U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.2
Planting new trees can significantly help to combat global warming. For every ton of wood a forest produces, it removes 1.47 ton of CO2 from the air and replaces it with 1.07 ton of oxygen.3 Paper is a responsible choice because it comes from a renewable resource and is the product of sunlight, soil, nutrients and water. In addition, paper is one of the most recyclable products on the planet. 1 American Forest & Paper Association www.afandpa.org 2,3 Society of American Foresters: Managed Forests in Climate Change Policy
No. 3
Making paper consumes a lot of energy and fossil fuels. FALSE: Not really.
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aking paper the first time around does require a lot of energy, as is the case with other transformation industries, such as making aluminum from bauxite, or steel from iron ore. However, over the past several decades, the pulp and paper industry has made an impressive commitment to fuel efficiency and independence. Companies have invested significantly in their infrastructures in order to increase their efficiency and replace fossil fuels with alternative energy sources, such as spent cooking liquor from its pulping processes and biomass (bark and other wood wastes). This effort has helped to reduce significantly nonrenewable resources while reducing harmful emissions. c o n t i n u e d o n pag e 4 4 〉
print works!
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Paper is bad for the environment. FALSE: No, paper is one of the few truly sustainable products.
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No. 2
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