What is the average amount of paper made from one tree?

How much paper can be made from a tree an average tree... or from a defined amount of wood. How much of a ton of tree will become paper and how much is lost in the process?

• Answer:

  According to the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI), and the American Forest & Paper Association, only about one-third of the fiber used to make paper in the U.S. is from whole trees. only trees smaller than 8 inches in diameter, or larger trees not suitable for solid wood products, typically are harvested for papermaking. The remaining two-thirds is made up of residue (wood chips and scraps left behind from forest and sawmill operations), and recovered (recycled) paper. Assume that the paper in question is typical 20lb copy paper, and it has been produced using 100 percent hardwood, measured in cords. A cord of wood is approximately 8 feet wide, 4 feet deep, and 4 feet high and weighs roughly 2 tons (15-20% water weight). It has been estimated that one cord of this wood will yield an average of 1,500 pounds of paper (300 reams).