Updated Environmental Quiz 2012

True. In the process of photosynthesis, water from the ground is combined in the leaves with carbon dioxide from the air to form glucose and other sugars, and oxygen that is released to the atmosphere. The sugars are used to form wood.

True. Rapidly rising consumption in China and other developing countries has sharply increased demand for mineral, timber, and fuel resources.

True. Per capita consumption of energy is also significantly higher than in several nations often listed as offering a higher or comparable quality of life as in the United States.

True. Well-documented environmental life cycle inventories of various raw materials production processes conducted by research organizations around the world show that wood products can be manufactured with relatively little environmental impact compared to potential alternatives. Even when wood products are compared to cement-based and recycled metal products, energy consumption and associated environmental impacts associated with wood-based materials manufacture are generally substantially lower.

False. Based on current and projected rates of natural population growth and immigration, the U.S. population is expected to reach approximately 439 million by 2050 (the Population Reference Bureau projects 470 million in 2050) and 571 million by 2100. The U.S. population is currently 313 million (March 2012).

False. The U.S. is today a net importer of most categories of industrial raw materials, including metals, Portland and masonry cement, petroleum (the basis for plastics), and wood and wood products.

False. Forests actually increased in area coverage in the United States between 1985 and 2012. However, due to continuing growth of urban areas and building of highways, it is predicted that 3 to 5% of the current area of forest land in the U.S. may be converted to non-forest uses by 2050.

False. The populations of all these species have increased by over 1,000% (10 x) over the past 60 years. The populations of many other species, including the American bald eagle, have increased dramatically as well.

True. In 1920 there were an estimated 732 million acres of forest covering the area that now comprises the United States. Today there are 751 million acres of forest. The current forested area is within one percent of the forest area of approximately 755 to 760 million acres that existed in 1907.

False. One of the specifically stated reasons for establishment of the National Forests was to ensure a continuous supply of wood for the citizens of the United States.

False. There is no documented evidence of even one plant or animal species having been driven to extinction by logging activity in the United States. The answer to this question is less clear globally, but it is evident that logging is but one of a myriad of human activities, including land clearing for agriculture, urban and infrastructure development, mining, and industrial production, placing pressure on native species.

True. The United States is a net importer of about 28% of the softwood lumber consumed annually within the country. When all products are considered, including exports of logs, and chips, the U.S. is a net importer of about 15-20% of the total wood and wood fiber consumed within its borders. The United States has been a net importer of wood for over 45 years.

As of early March, 2012 the world population was right at 7 billion (b).

The population of the United States in early March 2012 was about 313 million (c).

False. Forest harvesting is not allowed in federally designated wilderness areas.

Clearing of lands for agricultural use (c) is by far the leading cause of tropical deforestation worldwide.

Recovered paper provided about 37 percent (b) of the U.S. paper industry's fiber in 2010. The difference between the wastepaper collection rate (63 percent) and the recovered paper use rate (37 percent) is largely traceable to the fact that the United States is the world's largest exporter of waste paper. Virtually all exported wastepaper is also used in making paper and paperboard.

False. More wood is consumed annually in the United States, on both a volume and weight basis, than ALL metals and ALL types of plastics combined.

False. While paper recycling is extremely important, and a major contributor to reducing demand for virgin pulpwood, increasing recycling to the maximum level allowed by current technology would have the effect of reducing demand for virgin fiber by about 12 percent.

The world population is currently increasing at an estimated rate of 8,908 per hour (d).

True. At a 5% annual growth rate the U.S. population would surpass China’s current population level (1.34 billion) by 2042. By 2050 U.S. numbers would rise to just under 2 billion, a number 50 percent greater than the current population of China. It is interesting to note that any population will increase by 1,024 times for each 10 times that it doubles. So at an annual growth rate of 5%, only 120 years are needed for 10 doublings to occur. At a 3% annual growth rate, 233 years would result in 10 doublings. Even at a growth rate as low as 1% annually, 10 doublings will occur in 700 years - still a relatively short time in the big scheme of things.

The medium projection of world population for the year 2050 by the International Programs Center of the U.S. Census Bureau is 9.4 billion (d). The Population Reference Bureau estimate for the year 2050 is 9.6 billion.

(a) There are 751 million acres of forests in the U.S. today, about 72% of the 1.044 billion acres of forests estimated to have covered what is now the United States in the year 1600.

In 2010 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), 63.5 percent (c) of all paper used in the United States was collected for reuse.

Net growth of forests in the United States substantially exceeds harvest. In the most recent assessment of U.S. forest land (USDA-Forest Service, RPA Assessment 2010) net growth was estimated to exceed removals by 72% (e). When all lands are counted (including those forest lands designated as reserves or preserves) the net growth to harvest ratios are higher than those indicated above.