On
the outside, many of our house might be brick or stone or vinyl
siding, but underneath they all have something in common. Over 90%
of all houses in America are built with 2x4 wood boards. Even though
you don't usually get to see this frame, everything from the floor
to the walls to the roof is made of wood.
The
lumber industry reports that we use millions of board feet of the
structural lumber and engineered wood products every year. Additionally,
we also required more trees for things like flooring, cabinetry,
and furniture. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that each person
uses the equivalent of one 100 foot tall, 18 inch diameter tree
each year in wood and paper products. Many countries, such as China
and Korea are just beginning to use wood in the same ways that Americans
do and that means they are importing bigger and bigger quantities
for their own building needs.
To help ensure that there is plenty
of wood to meet
the demands of people and builders, while also maintaining a healthy
environment, the wood products industry, conservationists, scientists,
and politicians began the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program
in 1994. Their idea was to develop a plan that combines the perpetual
growing and harvesting of trees with the long-term protection of
wildlife, plants, soil and water quality. There are currently
107.8 million acres of forestland in North America enrolled in the
SFI program, making it North America's largest sustainable forestry
program and among the largest in the world.
For more information on forests and wood products,
check out the following links:
On
the outside, many of our house might be brick or stone or vinyl
siding, but underneath they all have something in common. Over 90%
of all houses in America are built with 2x4 wood boards. Even though
you don't usually get to see this frame, everything from the floor
to the walls to the roof is made of wood. 
The
lumber industry reports that we use millions of board feet of the
structural lumber and engineered wood products every year. Additionally,
we also required more trees for things like flooring, cabinetry,
and furniture. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that each person
uses the equivalent of one 100 foot tall, 18 inch diameter tree
each year in wood and paper products. Many countries, such as China
and Korea are just beginning to use wood in the same ways that Americans
do and that means they are importing bigger and bigger quantities
for their own building needs. 
meet
the demands of people and builders, while also maintaining a healthy
environment, the wood products industry, conservationists, scientists,
and politicians began the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program
in 1994. Their idea was to develop a plan that combines the perpetual
growing and harvesting of trees with the long-term protection of
wildlife, plants, soil and water quality. There are 
currently
107.8 million acres of forestland in North America enrolled in the
SFI program, making it North America's largest sustainable forestry
program and among the largest in the world.