Eaten Any Wood Today?
You may have! And you probably brushed your teeth with it. Chances are you
even dressed with wood. Skeptical? Don’t be. We’re all familiar with forest
products like lumber, furniture, and paper. But few of us realize how many
different things we regularly use that are manufactured from trees. In fact,
more than 5,000 wood and paper products make our lives better each day.
Here are just a few:
Fruits and NutsFruit from trees such as apples and peaches, as
well as nuts from trees such as walnuts, are all favorite products grown on
trees.
Bandage StripsTree gum, sap extracted from trees, makes the
adhesive on bandage strips stick to your skin.
Baseball BatsThe white ash tree is a hardwood that is used to make
baseball bats—including, of course, Kentucky’s own Louisville Slugger!
CandlesTree gum can be used to make candles.
ClothingCellulose is used to produce rayon and acetate, which can
be used to make a vast array of clothing such as ties, shirts, dresses, and
suits.
CombsWood pulp and cellulose can be used to make plastics for
items such as hair combs.
Cough SyrupCellulose products, used for their even-flowing
consistency, often thicken cough syrups and other liquid oral medicines.
CrackersNot only is the cracker box a product of trees, but the
crackers themselves can be made using a high-purity cellulose.
CrayonsGum extracted from trees can help make crayons.
Eyeglass FramesCellulose wood fibers are dissolved and can then be
formed into molded articles like eyeglass frames.
Football HelmetsEthyl cellulose is responsible for making the
hard, impact-resistant plastics found in football helmets.
GumGum and synthesized essential oils from trees can be used to
make chewing gum.
Ice CreamIce cream can be made with cellulose, which comes from
trees.
LipstickCellulose can help give lipstick its easy-apply
texture.
MakeupMakeup sometimes gets its creamy texture from the tree
derivative cellulose.
Maple SyrupSap from trees is used to make syrup.
Milk CartonsMilk cartons can be made from pulpwood.
Nail PolishNail polish contains nitrocellulose to help make the
polish glossy when it dries.
NewspaperPulpwood is used to make newspaper, wrapping paper, book
paper, and wallpaper.
PaintMethylcellulose, a product made from cellulose, gives paints
their thick consistency.
Parmesan CheeseCellulose powder is sometimes used to help keep
grated Parmesan cheese pieces from caking together.
PencilsTree logs are used to make pencils.
PerfumeTree bark is used to make “tall oil,” which cosmetic
companies can use to make perfumes.
Photo FilmLogs are reduced to pulp, and the pulp is processed to
create cellulose acetate chemicals that can be used to make photographic
film.
ShampooMethylcellulose can be used to thicken shampoo and
conditioner. Without it, they would just be soapy water!
SpongesCellulose is broken down into chemicals that can be used to
make sponges.
TiresTree-produced chemicals can be used for making the synthetic
rubber found in tires.
Toilet PaperWood pulp makes paper products such as toilet tissue,
paper towels, napkins, and facial tissue.
ToothpasteCellulose can be used in toothpaste to give it a
paste-like consistency.