Forest products have been around for a long time and with the help of modern technology, we are seeing more incredible innovations constantly. As a friendly reminder of how our forests have helped so much, here are five common forest products.
Witnessing nature at its purest form is truly a sight to behold. Massive green forests filled with fresh air and all kinds of life will make you feel a connection even just by taking a little stroll.
Rain or shine, a trip into the woods always relaxes the mind and body. While glancing at the tall trees and the grand density, one cannot help but think about all the amazing feats humans have achieved with forests. Houses, bridges, and all sorts of magnificent structures. Think about all the protection and nutrition that our forests offer us. It’s simply astonishing.
The use of forests has been a basic cornerstone of human civilization. We owe a lot to the fact that forests are renewable sources of vital natural resources. Here are 5 Common forest products that have been or will be necessary for our lives.
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Timber
Number one should not come as a surprise. Timber is being used daily for all kinds of purposes. Building and creating anything and everything by using timber almost comes a basic skill for humans.
Sure enough, timber is the most important forest product for the construction industry. Using wood as a construction material also benefits the environment because it binds carbon dioxide for up to a hundred years.
Look around you right now and you will most likely see a bunch of items, products, structures made from timber. In Finland, forests cover over 75% of our wondrous land, so naturally, when it comes to timber we have a lot of it and like to use it for all kinds of purposes.
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Wood fuel
When talking about renewable energy, none is more common than wood fuel. Wood is still the most important single source of renewable energy. Every single forest on earth can provide wood fuel, thus offering more options regarding energy use.
What are some of the most popular wood fuels? Of course, logs or firewood are the clear-cut number one. Others including pellets, sheets, bark, sawdust, woodchips, and charcoal are also huge utilities.
With wood fuel, you can generate electricity, fix up a delightful meal, and warm up your home among many other things.
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Paper
Take a moment to think about all the pages you’ve read in your lifetime. All those pages originate from the same place – the forest. Paper definitely is not what it once was in terms of popularity, and companies are undoubtedly striving for a paperless future, but as a forest product, paper is still in use for now.
The paper that is being used worldwide would not be possible to manufacture without wood pulp. Yet again for us Finns, the fact that we have so many forests comes in handy when exporting paper. In addition, paperboard has reached new heights regarding its popularity and sure enough, Finland thrives in producing it. For years, the Finnish economy has gained a reputation for exporting paperboard, paper and pulp in addition to packaging materials and sawn wood.
For us, it comes as second nature!
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Oxygen
Alongside the materialistic benefits, forests also produce oxygen for us earthlings to inhale and exhale. Approximately one-third of the earth’s oxygen comes from forests, mainly the rainforests. Forests convert carbon dioxide into delightful and fresh oxygen.
So, remember to thank the rainforests with every breath you take.
Oh, and where does the rest of our oxygen come from? The ocean. Roughly 70% of the oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere is produced by plants in the ocean, such as phytoplankton, kelp, and algal plankton.
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Wood-based plastics
Finally, let’s talk about the potential of upcoming common forest products. The point of our story, the Woodly vision, is to make wood-based plastics more common in the future.
Sure, we might be tooting our own horn a bit, but with good reason. Replacing traditional plastics such as PET or polypropylene with wood-based Woodly® material can be considered imperative in the struggle against climate change and plastic pollution.
Luckily wood-based plastics and items are becoming more common, so we are headed in the right direction. We strongly believe our Woodly® material will gain more ground as part of the most common forest products because of its transcendent potential and existing unusual qualities.
Forest products have changed the present and they will have an impact on the future. As long as we ensure the preservation of forests, our planet’s green gold will always be there for us to put into good use.