For quite a while now most Americans have been bombarded with eco messages on how to save Mother Earth by consuming fewer products that require natural resources to be made. Recycling has become a common household routine along with the use of energy saving electronics and appliances. People have also begun the shift from paper to digital in an effort to prevent over use of paper products. 
I have always understood that the goal of using less paper was to decrease the product demand which would then, in turn, decrease the number of trees being harvested to create paper. It all seemed very logical to me... until I recently read an article on how the use of paper actually helps to sustain and maintain trees. Really?!
The basic premise of the article explains that although paper consumption does require the harvesting and processing of our precious forest resource, most of the trees utilized in the process come from tree farms. When a tree is cut on such a farm, it is replaced by a new tree ensuring that the farm is constantly filled with tree growth. With the decline in the use of print, the farmers who own and operate these tree farms are increasingly faced with financial challenges and forced to consider alternative options to make a living. Unfortunately, most of these alternative options involve the removal of the trees - without replenishment. Whether they remove the trees to farm alternative crops or sell the land to developers, either way the result for Mother Earth is another patch of land without the ecological benefits of trees.
Consider for a second the basic economic principle of supply and demand. If consumption of paper goods began to increase - creating a demand for the trees - these farmers would not need to consider alternative uses for their land. Maintaining the tree farms, in turn, ensures that these acres of land are continually populated with trees delivering their wonderful ecological boons. I am not, of course, suggesting that we return to the days of irresponsible consumption. Paper use should still be conducted in combination with the eco-friendly habits we have recently acquired. Opt for products using recycled content and recycle your used paper goods when they have completed their contribution to your life. Most of all - stop feeling guilty for the paper you use. Every piece that you use helps keep a farmer - and his trees - in the field!
For additional information on this education campaign, check out this site:
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