Updated Environmental Quiz 2014

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. About 12-13 million acres of forest are converted to non-forest uses annually, primarily in the tropical regions where population growth is greatest. In some areas of the world, such as the United States and in Europe, forest cover is increasing.

True. Rapidly rising consumption in China and other developing countries has sharply increased demand for mineral, timber, and fuel resources, with consumption of minerals rising globally more rapidly than the rate of population growth.

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. As an example of this, a 2004 study commissioned by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) found that just five countries – the United States, UK, France, Germany, and Japan – that together accounted for 10.2% of the world population, consumed 28, 33, 40, 44, 45, 45, and 47%, respectively, of the world’s iron, crude steel, zinc, tin, copper, aluminum, and nickel. Cement and wood consumption on a per capita basis was also significantly greater.

Recently, the world’s second most populous country – China – until recently classed as economically underdeveloped,
has begun to consume vast quantities of raw materials. Addition of China to the list above would yield truly stunning consumption numbers.

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.

True. The United States is a net importer of about 25% 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 9% of the total wood and wood fiber consumed within its borders. Prior to the recent recession, U.S. net imports of wood were 15-20% of domestic consumption. The United States has been a net importer of wood for over 45 years.

As of July 1st, 2014 the world population was estimated to be 7.2 billion (b).

The projected population of the U.S. in 2060 is 420 million (c), an increase of just over 100 million from mid-year 2014. The population of the U.S. in 1914 was about 99 million.

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.

True. In 1920 there were an estimated 732 million acres of forest covering the area that now comprises the United States. Today there are 766 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.

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 (c). The Population Reference Bureau estimate for the year 2050 is 9.6 billion.

Recovered paper provided about 38.8 percent of the U.S. paper industry's fiber in 2013 (b). The difference between the wastepaper collection rate (63 percent) and the recovered paper use rate (38 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.

The population of the United States July 1st, 2014 was about 319 million (c).

The world population is currently increasing at an estimated rate of 8,880 per hour (d).

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

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

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. There is no documented evidence of even one plant or animal species having been driven to extinction by logging activity in the United States.

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

False. Forests actually increased in area coverage in the United States between 1985 and 2012. However, a 2012 assessment of U.S. forests predicted that 2-5% of the current area of forest land in the U.S. may be converted to non-forest uses by 2060.

There are 766 million acres of forests in the U.S. today, about 73% (a) of the 1.044 billion acres of forests estimated to have covered what is now the United States in the year 1600.

If the U.S. population were to continue growing at a rate of 0.72% annually the U.S. population would surpass China’s current population level in 200 years, or by 2214. At that point the U.S. population would be 4 times larger than it is today.

If the U.S. population were to continue its current rate of growth (a rate of growth that many people would say is negligible) for the next 400 years, the population would increase to over 5.1 billion (the current world population is 7.2 billion). Continuation of the current rate of growth for the next 1,000 years would result in a U.S. population of over 326 billion!

China’s population is also growing, currently at an annual rate of 0.48% annually. If this rate of growth were to continue, China’s population in the year 2100 would approximate 2 billion (as compared to 1.36 billion in 2014).

In 2013 (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.

This statement is very likely False. The vast majority of wood used for papermaking in the United States comes from privately-owned forest land, two-thirds of which is in the Southeastern part of the country. Should consumption of paper, and thus pulpwood, decline markedly many forest owners are likely to convert their forested lands to agriculture or some other non-forest use.

Carbon dioxide emissions in 2012 for China, the European Union, and the United States were estimated at 9.9, 7.4, and 5.2 billion metric tons, respectively. China’s per capita CO2 emissions in that same year were 7.1 metric tons while emissions for the E.U. were 7.4 metric tons and those of the U.S. 16.4 metric tons. Consequently, China’s per capita CO2 emissions were less than one-half of those of the U.S. in 2012 (d).

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 2012) net growth was estimated to exceed removals by 105% (e) – i.e. net growth is more than double net removals. These figures do not include growth within areas designated as parks, reserves, or wilderness areas. If growing on all lands were counted the net growth figure would likely be higher than that indicated above.