global markets for forest products
Overview When it comes to raw materials, the world seems to be shrinking. Raw materials are shipped all over the world to be processed and re-processed before ending up in consumer products. The international trade in wood and fibre products is extensive and well established. Just as the global environment is an interconnected web of ecosystems, so are the economies of the world increasingly interdependent, and it is important for students to begin to see this. Objectives Encourage students to see how the economies of different countries are still dependent on wood and wood products, and how resources can be extracted from remote areas of the world and shaped into products for our everyday use. It is important to realize that what we consume affects the shape of forests far away. Procedure Use the forum on this site, or a direct e-mail request, to establish contact with students living in a particular forest type (e.g. boreal, tropical). After determining what forest products originate from that particular area, have your students try to discover which, if any, of those products appear in consumer items locally (e.g. paper products, packaging, furniture, construction materials, etc.). Students from both schools can then try to trace the path(s) of these products from forest to consumer. It might be interesting to try and find the longest manufacturing/transportation path, or the most distant forest of origin from your location. References/Links The Forest Importance section of this site and links from the Resources section of this site, industry web sites (pulp, paper, packaging, construction, etc), periodicals, almanacs, encyclopedias.
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