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What are Forest Products?

 All those things that we use on a daily basis.  We produce more than five thousand products from wood grown in forests.  We also harvest fruit, nuts, and seeds gathered from forests.  Many chemicals are collected from trees, we enjoy its beauty, and we harvest wildlife for food and furs, and rely on forests to provide clean water to drink and oxygen to breathe.

Each person uses the amount of wood products each year that is equal to a tree 100 feet tall, and just one acre of trees provide enough oxygen for 17 people.

Lumber is probably the most recognizable product that comes from our forests.  Lumber is the 2x4's and such that we use to build our houses and furniture.  That is just part of the story.

We use all parts of the tree: cellulose, bark, sugars, leaves & needles, and chemicals.  So many things that we use each day come from forests that it is hard to find something that doesn't.  Here are some examples:

• Many drinks (e.g. sport drinks) have flavorings that come from forest products.

• Some ice creams contain cellulose, derived from trees.  It gives ice cream a creamy texture.

• Aspirin and some other medicines come from trees.  Aspirin is made from the bark of willow trees.

• Toothpaste has cellulose in it.

And there are many more examples of forest products!

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