Nature's Treasure Chest More than 5,000 wood and paper products make our lives better each day. Chances are you ate some wood today, wore it, and brushed your teeth with it. Wood is the best resource available, and here are some reasons why:

Renewable

Unlike aluminum, steel, concrete, or plastic, wood is a renewable natural resource. As long as we take care of our forest land, we will never run out of wood.

Recyclable

Wood can be re-used, recovered, and recycled. There are limits to the number of times a product can be recycled, but we are learning more all the time about how to extend the life of wood fiber.

Biodegradable

Wood is an "all natural" product which can be safely disposed of once it has outlived its usefulness. Wood can be readily returned to the natural cycle of decay and decomposition.

Energy Efficient

It takes less energy to manufacture, and less energy to use wood than products made from steel, aluminum, concrete, or plastic.

Environmentally Friendly

Manufacturing processes for wood products release fewer toxins into the air, water, and soil than manufacturing processes for any alternative resources we have available.

Versatile

Trees may be used as solid wood, fibers, chemicals, and lignin. Each of those products is used in the manufacture of thousands of items we use every day.

• Bark is used as fuel in mills and is also a source of chemicals, resins, waxes, vitamins, plywood adhesives, plastic fillers, lacquers, and mulch.
• Wood flour and resins using cellulose filler are principle components of dinnerware, electrical receptacles and parts, toys, handles for cooking utensils, and camera cases.
• Ethyl cellulose is used in making tool handles, photographic film, and football helmets. Acetate filament yarns make textile products such as clothing, drapes, and rugs.
• Torula yeast is a high protein product made from wood sugars as a byproduct of the pulping process in papermaking. Type S Torula is used in baby food and cereals. Type F Torula is used in feed supplements for cattle, fish, and chickens.
• Turpentine and tall oil are resinous materials that are also reclaimed from the paper pulping process. They are important ingredients in paint, varnish, adhesives, soaps, and polishes. Synthesized essential oils are used in gum, toothpaste, detergents, and shampoos.

Here are some of the many products that come from trees: sandwich bags coffee filters tissues disposable diapers hair spray building insulation furniture charcoal cork shoe polish cosmetics oil spill control agents garden mulch grouting stain remover cologne solvents baby food imitation bacon cereals explosives vegetarian foods baked goods beverages sanding sealers food additives food thickeners vanilla flavoring filters rayon clothing adhesives floor tiles toothpaste helmets/hardhats luggage plastic twines cleaning compounds ceramics deodorant fungicides insecticides crayons

Continual advances in technology have brought us engineered wood products like oriented strand board and glue-lam lumber, plus medicines for Parkinson's Disease, hypertension, and cancer -- all in addition to the traditional paper, building, and fuel products from wood that people have used for centuries.