MICHIGAN FORESTS FOREVER TEACHERS GUIDE
Try to imagine all the things people use that are made from wood or have byproducts from wood in them. Paper, cardboard, furniture, and lumber are obvious products. The Temperate Forest Foundation, based in Oregon (this is also a good website designed with teachers in mind), claims over 5,000 items are wood-based, at least in part. To see a list of several hundred products, click here. Wood byproducts include such things as resins, cellulose (the main component of wood), chemicals, and other extractives. But, wood products are also added to just about anything, including concrete, plastic, food, clothing, and metals. Wood is also being more commonly used for heating, electricity, and transportation fuels.
Each year on the average, every person uses more wood.
And, each year there are more and more people. The wood comes from the forest, just
one of many multiple uses of the forest. Every
day, the average person in the USA will consume about 4.5 pounds of wood, that's a little
over a third of a two-by-four. Over the course of a year, that adds up to a
16-18" tree, a hundred feet tall. Those trees come from the forest, of
course. Managing forests will provide more wood (and other outputs) in a shorter
period of time. Read an essay by Dr. Patrick Moore
for a remarkable perspective on forestry, environmental challenges, and trees.
Where does our wood come from?
Most of our wood comes from our own country. However,
both Michigan and USA are net wood importers. That means we use more wood
than we grow. Canada is our largest wood importer, especially softwoods
(needle-bearing trees). But sometimes wood comes from countries where environmental
protection and forest management are inadequate. Some would argue that we should be
self-sufficient in wood. That is probably a good idea in that we probably could
produce the volume of wood used without negative environmental consequences.
However, some kinds of wood just don't grow in the USA. And, good forest management
is a positive economic development in other countries, as well as our own.
How much wood do we
harvest in Michigan?
A lot. About 360 million cubic feet in 1992, and the amount has been increasing. But how much is that?
Let's imagine a pile of eight-foot logs stacked four feet tall. How far would that pile stretch? 3,457 miles! And how far is that? How about a round trip to from Detroit to El Paso, Texas!
Hmmm. IS that a lot of wood? In a way, sure. But what can we compare that volume to? Let's take a look at how much GROWS in Michigan each year. Click on the USA map on the right.
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Using the same wood pile scenario, the "annual growth" pile would extend 7,900 miles from Detroit to Seattle, then through Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Boston, and back to Detroit! That's 825 million cubic feet, over twice the amount that is harvested each year! In Michigan, our timber inventory is climbing, and has been for many decades. At some point, however, the gap between harvest and growth may narrow. Biological maximums will be reached, evened the enhanced maximums through management. Our forests are relatively young and growing vigorously. Forest management can help keep them that way, resulting in both increased harvest AND higher growth rates. The last question along these lines might be; "How much wood is standing in Michigan"? Certainly, it's a huge volume of wood. Michigan has the fifth largest forest (timberland) in the country, by area. It's ranked #13 by volume. If you use that same wood pile idea, the pile would stretch 288,723 miles! That's around the Earth twice then off to the moon! Or, around the Earth 11.5 times! |
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Who owns the land where our wood comes from? |
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The table to the right shows "who" is producing the most wood among the three states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. For the most part, both Wisconsin and Minnesota are more productive than Michigan! However, differences in forest composition help explain part of the variance. Minnesota is much heavier to mature aspen, which has been extensively clearcut for harvest and regeneration. Michigan has a greater area of northern hardwood types, which is typically thinned and selectively logged. By contrast and of special note is the top ranking of the Wisconsin Indian lands. This is mostly due to forest management on the Menominee Indian Reservation where, oddly enough, most of the volume comes from selectively logged northern hardwoods! The Menominees have some of the finest managed northern hardwood stands in the USA. Other differences between the three states are forest tax laws and commitment to private forest assistance by the state governments.
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 MCF Benchmarks |
 S.III.5.ms6,
S.III.5.ms7 |
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This website was developed and created by Michigan State University Extension for the teachers of the State of Michigan. The website is maintained by the Delta-Schoolcraft Independent School District in support of the Michigan Forests Forever CD-ROM from the Michigan Forest Resource Alliance. |
Page Name: UseWood.htm |
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