Several weeks ago this column provided advance information about National Forest Products Week. In fact, October 15-21 is the 42nd annual observance of this effort to help people become more aware of the importance of forests and forest products. More importantly, this observance is a way to share information with consumers about how many of the products they use every day contain forest materials.

I was surprised this week when Mickey Gregory, an employee with Canal Wood here in Lumberton, delivered a box to my office. The box was appropriately labeled "Goods from the Woods" and contained samples of an assortment of items I use every day. This was Mickey's way of thanking me for my earlier column, but it was also her way to politely remind me that even with all my experience and knowledge of forest products, even I was not aware of the magnitude of household products that are manufactured using forest products.

The information in the "Goods from the Woods" box pointed out that research and new technology has provided many new ways to convert tree fibers so they can readily be used in consumer products. It stated that tree fibers and paper-pulping residues are used in over 5,000 products that we use and enjoy every day. The most significant fact here is that these products are being made with a renewable resource - trees.

Unlike fossil fuels, metals, and plastics, wood can be harvested, used, regrown, and harvested again and again. This never-ending cycle can provide consumers with thousands of products and still have plenty of trees for wildlife habitat, clean air and water, recreation, and aesthetic beauty.

Let me share with you some of the items that are in the box. Toothpaste contains cellulose gum, a natural wood product. The gum acts as a binder and provides the creamy texture.

Many of the citrus-flavored soft drinks contain chemicals from trees called esters. Esters are derivatives of wood rosin and act as a weighting agent to assure a uniform distribution of the citrus flavor throughout the drink.

Many beauty products, including lotions, contain Vitamins A and E which come from wood extracts. Many of the skin lotions also contain stearic acids that are derivatives of fatty acids produced during the papermaking process.

Glues and adhesives are made from hard resins, a natural substance that comes from trees. Dishwashing liquid, soaps, and shampoos are made from crude fatty acids derived from wood. The lemon scent of some dishwashing liquids and furniture polishes comes from trees during pine turpentine processing.

Chewing gum is made by using the rosin, or storax, of trees such as spruce. It may also contain terpenes, a group of pine derivatives used to sweeten peppermint and spearmint oils used as flavoring.

Crayons are made from carnauba wax, a resin produced by the leaves of the carnauba tree. This resin is what gives the crayons a waxy texture. Carnauba is also found in car wax, finish coatings on furniture, and in the waxy coatings on produce such as apples, pears, and cucumbers. The pharmaceutical industry uses it to coat pills, and it is a major ingredient in lipstick and cosmetics.

Cellophane tape is derived from the sugar components of wood during the pulping process. This is the same process used to produce tapes and wrappings.

Many cookies contain cocoa from the seeds of the cacao tree. Many others contain vanillin, an artificial flavoring made from wood.

Coffee, of course, comes from the seeds of the coffee tree. Many other trees provide nuts for both human and animal consumption. One of the most common nut trees in Robeson County is pecan.

Virtually all paper products, including facial tissues, toilet tissue, and this newspaper you are now reading are made from cellulose, the main building block of wood.

This list could go on and on, but I am allowed only so much space for this column. If you want more information about wood and wood products, please contact me by phone or E-mail or contact the North Carolina Forestry Association.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 10/19/01