 SUBJECT: From the Forest |
| Trees supply thousands of products for our daily lives. We eat fruits and nuts from trees, use decorative woods for jewelry and art projects, and make practical items like books and fences from wood.
Wood is used as a fuel for cooking and heating in stoves, fireplaces and barbecue grills. Houses, paper and boxes are made from trees, and the fibers and chemicals from wood are used to make products such as rayon fabric and rubber balls. 
How can so many different products come from trees? It's because of the tree's structure. Trees are made up of cellulose that are held together with lignin. This makes the tree strong enough to use for building houses and furniture. When wood is cooked, the cellulose is separated from the lignin to make wood pulp. This pulp is made into paper. The lignin can be used to make different chemicals that go into products like cosmetics, medicines and some foods. Since so many products are made from wood and wood fiber, the average American uses the equivalent of a 100-foot tree every year! |
 |