There is no simple answer to these questions, and all calculations can be no better than "ballpark estimates."

Many people have heard the statistic that "a ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees." The "17 trees" number was popularized by Conservatree when it was a paper distributor, based on a report to Congress in the 1970s. It was calculated for newsprint, which is made in a totally different paper making process from office and printing papers. But it was the best number anyone had, so it became the number everyone used to calculate number of trees saved by recycled paper, or number of trees cut to make virgin paper, no matter what type of paper they were talking about.

Paper is made from a mix of types of trees. Some are hardwood, some are softwood. In addition, some are tall, some old, some wide, some young, some thin. Many of the "trees" used to make paper are just chips and sawdust.

So how can one talk about a "typical tree"? And do numbers calculated 30 years ago still apply to today's much more efficient paper industry?

We decided it was time to update these numbers, so Conservatree has tracked down some ways to make ballpark estimates more reliable than in the past.

Paper made in a "mechanical" or "groundwood" process (e.g. newsprint, telephone directories, base sheet for low-cost coated magazine and catalog papers)

uses trees about twice as efficiently as

paper made in the "kraft" or "freesheet" process (e.g. office and printing papers, letterhead, business cards, copy paper, base sheet for higher-quality coated magazine and catalog papers, advertising papers, offset papers).

Claudia Thompson, in her book Recycled Papers: The Essential Guide (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1992), reports on an estimate calculated by Tom Soder, then a graduate student in the Pulp and Paper Technology Program at the University of Maine. He calculated that, based on a mixture of softwoods and hardwoods 40 feet tall and 6-8 inches in diameter, it would take a rough average of 24 trees to produce a ton of printing and writing paper, using the kraft chemical (freesheet) pulping process.

If we assume that the groundwood process is about twice as efficient in using trees, then we can estimate that it takes about 12 trees to make a ton of groundwood and newsprint. (The number will vary somewhat because there often is more fiber in newsprint than in office paper, and there are several different ways of making this type of paper.)

1 ton of uncoated virgin (non-recycled) printing and office paper uses 24 trees

1 ton of 100% virgin (non-recycled) newsprint uses 12 trees

A "pallet" of copier paper (20-lb. sheet weight, or 20#) contains 40 cartons and weighs 1 ton. Therefore,

1 carton (10 reams) of 100% virgin copier paper uses .6 trees

1 tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333.3 sheets

1 ream (500 sheets) uses 6% of a tree (and those add up quickly!)

1 ton of coated, higher-end virgin magazine paper (used for magazines like National Geographic and many others) uses a little more than 15 trees (15.36)

1 ton of coated, lower-end virgin magazine paper (used for newsmagazines and most catalogs) uses nearly 8 trees (7.68)

(1) Multiply the number of trees needed to make a ton of the kind of paper you're talking about (groundwood or freesheet), then

(2) multiply by the percent recycled content in the paper.

For example,

1 ton (40 cartons) of 30% post consumer content copier paper saves 7.2 trees

1 ton of 50% post consumer content copier paper saves 12 trees.

Article source : http://conservatree.org/learn/EnviroIssues/TreeStats.shtml

Getting to the point do people care about trees or paper ?

Seen alot of deforestation in many places . Have seen a entire mountain disappear and big factories are constructed there . People are wondering here why the weather changes so drastically do they know anything about global warming ?

At my work place they use paper for everything . If i come early from lunch i need to sign a paper . If i don't go for lunch i need to sign a paper . If take leave i need to sign a paper . If i go home late from work i need to sign a paper. For each and everything there is some or the paperwork involved .

My ideas on where paperwork can be reduced .

1. Use online portals to save data online so people can share it . A print out can be avoided here. Use a intranet if possible ( applies to schools , companies etc ) .

2. In banks they have so much technology but when i go to do a TT / Western union i end up coming home with at least 4-5 papers that the TT or Transfer is done. Cant the bank send me a message saying that its done go home grab a beer?

3. Reduce size of catalogs and brochures . I reduced a company profile brochure from 30 pages ( Chinese version ) to 4 pages ( English version ) . I first got criticized for doing it but later i convinced the management that carrying the fat books will add up to luggage while travelling . Most of my brochures have a recycle symbol on them but i wonder if people care.

4. During Trade Shows or Seminars or meetings. Send a email or send a e-brochure instead of giving a catalog which is printed .

FAQs for people who don't know about global warming :

What is Global warming ?

-A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.

Top 10 reasons of global warming .

1. Humans - Cars , Pollution etc etc.

2. Burning of fossil Fuels.

3. Use of chemical Fertilizers

4. Industrial Advancement

5. Deforestation

6. Melting of Glaciers due to warm temperature.

7. Volcanic Eruptions

8. Depletion of Ozone Layer

9. Air Pollution

10. Green House Effect.

I want to know your thoughts where we can reduce using paper .