Last week, we explored the face-value premise of the book and movie, “The Lorax” — that natural resources can be exploited and that companies hire their own “Loraxes” to ensure that their businesses are sustainable. I also discussed how government regulations, scientific understanding of ecosystems, and sustainable forestry certification systems are now in place to ensure that natural resources are not overused — systems that were not present in the Lorax’s world.

There is still another threat to natural resources that is more subtly presented and less intuitive in “The Lorax,” though. That threat is one that we all tend to ignore and prefer not to talk about. The cliché, “We have met the enemy and he is us!” comes to mind.

In the movie, there is a scene where a horde of people descends upon the young “Onceler” (businessman) and demands his product, the “Thneed” that everyone needs! THIS is the threat to natural resources that we have to worry about, and one that is not monitored by any Lorax. Let me explain.

This country was founded on a concept of abundant natural resources that stretched on, seemingly forever. In effect, our policies and systems were designed in an atmosphere of unlimited space. Hundreds of years later, populations have expanded and space is far from unlimited, yet our concept of open space, our economic success and our selfishness continues to drive public policy more toward sprawl and less toward density.

Forest acres have increased in North America each year since about 1920, yet the majority of our forest products are now imported. This growth of forestland was fueled by improvements in agricultural technology, allowing greater crop volumes to be produced on fewer acres. Thus, unused agricultural acres slowly were reclaimed by forest. In this decade, we will see that trend reverse and forest acres will begin to decline. The decline will be fueled by development coupled with the fact that we no longer have agricultural acres reverting to forest to offset the development growth. In fact, food crop acres will start to increase and forest acres will decline.

We all want our spacious homestead lots and our large houses. The popular American aspiration is to have a house in the suburbs where there is space between you and your neighbors. This aspiration in reflected in our zoning laws, which encourage larger house lots the farther you get from an inner city. It is also reflected in our property tax policies, which assume that every private forest is available for development and should be taxed based on the potential development value, not the value of the forest. There are other policies too numerous to mention that also encourage forest parcelization and development.

You may say that our government will regulate to save the forest, but in our system of democracy we are the government, and public policies reflect our aspirations as a society. This will not change, as “The Lorax” states, UNLESS we care a whole awful lot. “Things will not get better (in terms of conserving forest land), they will not.”

We, like many species in the forest ecosystem, are very adaptable and the future is certainly not yet written. I see things getting better with the advent of more fuel-efficient cars and more condo-type housing units being built closer to cities and using less open space. To continue these positive trends, we all need to acknowledge our societal impact upon natural resources and stop looking to blame others (factories have been a common target for decades, as has government). If we want things to get better, we have to adjust our aspirations to ensure a more secure future.

When my sons were young, my wife and I would read “The Lorax” to them often. So often, that they memorized the words and if we stopped reading in mid-sentence, they would continue on without us. That was more than 30 years ago, so on a recent night Ellen and I headed out to the local cinema to see how well “The Lorax” and its messages translated into a movie. We were pleased by what we saw.

What messages, you may ask? Well, the first is the most obvious: that any forest ecosystem must be carefully managed because there are natural limitations that limit what can be removed sustainably. The second message is more subtle, and will be reviewed in next week’s post.

So why would a forester and his wife, whose economic well-being depends on the harvest of trees, read “The Lorax” to their children so frequently? The answer, I thought at the time, was to get that most obvious point across to them — the point that all natural resources are limited. In retrospect, though, perhaps I was reading the book more for myself than for them­ — to constantly remind myself that in addition to growing trees sustainably, my job involved telling my employer when the resource was being managed at its limit, and that production could no longer be increased. The ethical requirement for a natural resource manager is clear and indisputable. Even if an employer doesn’t want to hear it, the resource manager must inform the business when the resource is at the limit of sustainable use. This is the line that, if crossed by an employer, should prompt any professional natural resource/forest manager to resign.

Let’s stress one more fact here: most, if not all, employers expect their natural resource managers to say when limits are reached; it is the main reason that resource managers are hired in the first place.

Forest industries have operated for many years now and, I am pleased to report, that biological limit has not been reached, at least in the northeastern forests where I work. What’s more, this limit is unlikely to be reached because: 1) the use of certified sustainable resource management programs are more and more prevalent; 2) laws and regulations pertaining to natural resource management are in place and working; 3) forest set-asides are largely in place and ensure continued existence of fully functioning ecosystems; and perhaps most importantly, 4) the science of natural resource management has grown dramatically and continues to expand in leaps and bounds.

“The Lorax” reinforces a seldom-discussed reality: professional resource managers across the globe, whether working in the public or private sector, have the ethical requirement to say when enough is enough in terms of nature’s capacity to carry on. That, in the end, is a part of why businesses (“Oncelers”) employ professionals (“Loraxes”) to speak for the trees — for the trees, indeed, have no tongues.

January 23, 2012 — Glens Falls, NY — Finch Paper customers are looking to the company’s newest G7 Expert, Mary Schilling, to provide value-add G7 services for color management, process and quality control for electrophotography (EP), lithography, and high-speed inkjet printing equipment. Schilling works with the Finch digital team to analyze color, ink/toner, machinery, paper and other print-related issues to bring systems into compliance with clients’ preferred processes, including the G7 methodology.

Schilling, who joined Finch in early 2011, is in an industry veteran with a broad and deep understanding of the entire production process, from design software to press delivery. In 2012 she will present at the IMI Ink Jet Conference on February 1-3, the Xplor conference on March 27-29, and the CGX Emerge conference on April 17-19.

“Digital printers, especially those using production inkjet presses, have quickly realized that the paper ink/toner relationship is critical,” explains Finch Paper Director of Product Marketing, Phil Hart. “Paper is a significant part of the print equation, and has tremendous impact on every job. We’re helping our clients optimize press performance and print quality with experts like Mary, who combine their knowledge of fluid and substrate interactions with leading process methods, such as G7.”

David Hunter, one of the world’s leading G7 experts, says that understanding the G7 method and its correlation with different paper grades puts projects under Schilling’s supervision at a unique advantage. “You achieve the G7 quality color control,” Hunter says, “But someone who understands the variability of fluid to paper, like Mary, can provide overall improved process and color control for composite print density, mottle and show-through.

“Understanding fluid and substrate interaction,” Hart explains, “can lower the total cost of print for most high-speed inkjet applications where paper is 10% to ink’s 30% contribution of job cost.”

As a manager of responsibly managed forests for more than a century, Finch Paper has long strived to help consumers understand that paper manufacturing and a healthy forest resource go hand-in-hand. We’re thrilled to be getting some new help in spreading the word.

Two Sides U.S., a not-for-profit coalition has launched a new website chock full of insightful facts demonstrating that printing on paper is an environmentally sustainable way to communicate. It’s a great resource for printers and brand owners, and I encourage you to spend some time there.

I also want to remind you that our team of Finch foresters is available to answer your questions about responsible forest management. You can see some of your most frequently asked questions, and connect directly with our foresters by clicking here.

Sure there are advantages today to doing some of our communicating in the digital “cloud.” But paper remains a tremendously useful, impactful and sustainable way to communicate as well, and Finch foresters are proud to help continue that tradition by keeping our feet planted firmly in the forest.

Congratulations to Amanda DeBord and the communications team at the University of Kentucky College of Law, happy owners of a new Macbook Air! The University of Kentucky College of Law viewbook, printed on Finch Opaque, Bright White, Smooth, 80 lb. Text and 80 lb. Cover, was randomly selected as the winner.

It was a memorable year for Finch is in the House promotions. In April, we gave away a creative getaway; and in July, five lucky designers won $500 to Design Within Reach.

We were delighted to reward designers for going with Finch in 2011, and we thank those who participated in our contests.

Happy Holidays!

Question: Which of the following does not contain products that come from a tree?

A. Toothpaste
B. A football helmet
C. Artificial vanilla flavoring
D. A Twinkie
E. Vitamins

Answer: None of the above.

Each of those items contains elements that come from a tree. In fact, at least a portion of more than 5,000 consumer products contain wood fiber.

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Watch for more Tree Trivia in future editions of our “Finch in the Forest” blog, along with continuing information on why Trees Are The Answer to so many of society’s needs and challenges.

When it comes to carbon mitigation, yet another new study is demonstrating that “Trees are the answer.”

In a report published in the journal Carbon Management, Bruce Lippke, professor emeritus at the University of Washington School of Forest Resources, and a team of researchers show that the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere could be quadrupled over the next 100 years through sound forest management and the use of wood products in place of steel and concrete, both of which require far greater amounts of fossil fuels to manufacture than wood products.

As reported on sciencedaily.com, the Lippke study provides a life-cycle analysis of wood, steel and concrete products that takes into account the environmental impacts beginning with raw material extraction from the forest or ground and continuing through the manufacturing, use and disposal processes.

As you may be aware, the manufacturing processes for steel and concrete devour vast amounts of fossil fuels, which in turn generates far more carbon emissions than producing wood products. For example, Professor Lippke’s life-cycle analysis found that using engineered wood floor joists in a building instead of steel joists reduces the carbon footprint by nearly 10 tons of carbon dioxide for every ton of wood used.

The Lippke study also notes that:

• Any carbon emissions from manufacturing sustainably produced wood products are being offset by the carbon removed from the atmosphere by healthy, managed forests. All forests sequester carbon, but sustainably managed forests sequester more carbon than unmanaged forests. Even trees removed from the forest continue to store their carbon after being turned into tables, cabinets, lumber and paper (yes, even paper is a carbon sink!).

• The burning of wood for fuel produces only 4% of the emissions generated by coal.

“Every time you see a wood building, it’s a storehouse of carbon from the forest,” Professor Lippke told sciencedaily.com. “When you see steel or concrete, you’re seeing the emissions of carbon dioxide that had to go into the atmosphere for those structures to go up.”

You can read Professor Lippke’s full report here, and, as always, feel free to contact me here.

When samples of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law book arrived at Finch Paper, we knew we’d feature it on our showcase. It was instantly compelling with its clean white cover and vibrant interior. The designer, Chris Haas of flourish inc, recently took time away from designing to talk to us about this piece and design in general.

Finch Paper: How long have you been in the design field?

Chris Haas: Roughly seven years. Before becoming a designer, art director, and semi-professional ping-pong player for flourish inc., I was fortunate to work at American Greetings, where I concepted and designed more greeting cards than I care to remember.

Finch Paper: The white cover is striking. Explain the idea behind the treatment you used.

Chris Haas: When the book was first conceived, two covers were presented: a black cover and white cover. It was recommended to print both and intermix the covers. They decided to use black the first year and white the second year. The clear foil on the cover was used to add subtle drama and we wanted something different that would make someone pick up the book just based on the cover.

Finch Paper: What made you select Finch Paper?

Chris Haas: Right now I am a huge fan of the look being achieved on uncoated paper, and Finch has surpassed everything that I look for in an uncoated sheet. For this project in-particular, there was “double appeal”. What I mean by that is there were things that both the client and I were looking for. For me, it was Finch Fine’s smooth finish and the superior printability of the paper. For the client it was a great environmental factor and most importantly, the value.

Finch Paper: Do you have a dream project (e.g. a perfume bottle for a major retailer, a coffee table book, movie campaign … anything)?

Chris Haas: My dream project would be to design a major sports team logo and it wouldn’t matter what sport. I love sports and I think the longevity of the design and seeing your logo in the middle of a court or field and seeing people walk by with it on a shirt or hat would be such a rewarding feeling.

Finch Paper: Where do you go for inspiration?

Chris Haas: A trip down to Starbucks, or at least that is what I tell my boss they are used for.

Finch Paper: What is a design pet peeve of yours?

Chris Haas: My biggest pet peeve is losing a great design in the details. Anytime I see a great concept, brochure or even logo and the details have been forgotten or looked over, it drives me crazy. Those details could be the simplest thing like a designer forgetting to adjust his rags in a brochure, to a logo with bad kerning and a great ad concept that has a poorly executed art direction. To me, it’s that extra 10% effort that takes a good design and makes it great.

Thanks to Chris for talking with us. We’ll keep our eye out for your work at center-court!

In order to maintain a diversity of wildlife, society has to maintain a diversity of wildlife habitat. In this brief video, Roger explains how a mixture of managed and unmanaged forests provide wildlife with everything they need for food and shelter.

Contest entry forms and details are available at our Call for Samples page.

Good luck, and we look forward to seeing your submissions!