what’s in a tree?

© 2013 Georgia Pacific. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC

Resource Report:http://gp.com/nature/video.html

In this one-minute video clip from Georgia-Pacific, Chuck Leavell, a Georgia tree farmer and a member of The Rolling Stones rock band, discusses the importance of sustainable forestry to ensure that trees thrive for generations to come.

What’s in a Tree?

conservation: planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction or neglect

natural resources: resources in the environment that are useful to people, including soil, water, air, forests, coal, iron, minerals and natural gas

sustainable: a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged

sustainable forestry: the production of timber using environmentally sound practices that protect soil, water and wildlife and that ensure that we will have forests in the future

tree farm: a place where trees are planted as seedlings, nurtured and managed until they are harvested. A tree farmer uses the renewable resource of trees wisely and carefully to ensure we have forests for future generations.

Next Generation Science StandardsHuman Impacts on Earth’s Systems, 5-ESS3-1 Individuals and communities work to protect Earth’s resources and environments. For example, when a tree is cut down we can work to ensure that as much of the tree as possible is used. The bark is used to create energy and also is used for landscaping, wood chips become paper, and sawdust and wood shavings are used to make particleboard.

Influence of Science, Engineering and Technology on Society and the Natural World, 3-5-ETS-1 People’s needs and wants change over time, as do their demands for new and improved technologies. In the forestry industry, one example of improved technology is the development of lasers that provide precise cuts and enable us to use as much of every tree as possible.

Words to know:


Introducing the Lesson: 1. Earth has a limited amount of natural resources. Explain to

students that some of these resources are renewable and others are nonrenewable. Ask your class, “What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?” (Renewable resources are ones that can be used and replaced. Nonrenewable resources are ones that cannot be replaced.)

2. Explain that when you try to keep a resource from being wasted, you conserve that resource. Ask students, “What are some ways that you conserve resources?” (Students’ answers may cover everything from riding bikes instead of driving to save gasoline, using both sides of a sheet of paper or turning off the water when brushing teeth.)

3. Trees are renewable resources. Ask students, “What are some of the products we get from trees? What are some of the other benefits of trees?” (Products include sources of food; paper and wood products; sap for syrup, gum and soap; and bark for bulletin boards, corks and landscaping. Benefits may include roots holding soil in place, wind barriers, absorption of carbon dioxide, production of oxygen, shelter, shade and beauty.)

What’s in a Tree?

Did you know? Georgia-Pacific works to make sure no part of the tree is wasted. Chips and wood waste from sawmills and plywood plants supply pulp and paper mills and plants that make hardboard.


deforestation: clearing a forest of trees

nonrenewable resources: natural resources that can’t be replaced once they are used, including petroleum, natural gas, coal and uranium

reforestation: replanting or naturally regenerating an area that previously had trees

renewable resources: natural resources that can be replaced, including trees, water and soil

sustainable: using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged

sustainable forestry: the practice of managing a forest for different uses, including timber production and recreation, using environmentally sound practices that protect soil, water and wildlife and that ensure that we will have forests in the future

“Tree”mendous ReforestationNext Generation Science Standard Earth and Human Activity, 5-ESS3-3 Individuals and communities work to protect Earth’s resources and environments.

Estimated Lesson Time: 45 minutes

Teacher Preparation: Gather the materials needed for the class experiment.

Materials for each pair:• 30 toothpicks• large foam plate

Words to know:

What’s in a Tree?

Introducing the lesson: 1. Discuss with students what they know about renewable resources, including the fact that

renewable resources—such as trees, water and soil—can be replaced once they are used. Then ask students the following questions:o Now that you know what renewable resources are, what do you think nonrenewable

resources are? (Nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced once they are used.)o What are some examples of nonrenewable resources? (Answers might include coal, iron

and petroleum.)

2. Next explain to students that, even though trees are a renewable resource, we still have to use them responsibly so that they will be around for future generations of people and wildlife. Ask these questions:o What does sustainable mean? (Able to be maintained at a certain level.)o What is sustainable forestry? (The practice of managing a forest for different uses,

including timber production and recreation, using environmentally sound practices that protect soil, water and wildlife and that ensure that we will have forests in the future.)


Georgia-Pacific promotes sustainable forestry so that there will be abundant, healthy diverse forests in the future. Georgia-Pacific supports all of the recognized forest certification organizations, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative®, the Forest Stewardship Council®, the Canadian Standards Association, American Tree Farm System® and the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification.

What’s in a Tree?

Forest Facts:

Steps: 1. Provide each student pair with 30 toothpicks and a large foam plate.

2. Ask the pairs to stand the toothpicks upright in the plate to represent trees in a forest.

3. Assign each pair one of two labels—sustainable forests or unsustainable forests.

4. Read each step of the Forestry Scenario aloud. Have the students within each pair take turns “cutting down” the allotted number of trees by removing the toothpicks from the plate.

5. Next have the partners sort their remaining trees into groups of five. Explain that groups will get one bonus toothpick for every group of five trees remaining.

6. Allow time for the pairs to continue making trips into the forests until the unsustainable forests have no more trees. (Note: The sustainable forests will always have 30 trees due to responsible cutting, planting and regeneration.)

7. Discuss the activity’s results. Encourage students to write about the importance of sustainable forestry.

Did you know? Georgia-Pacific works in support of wildlife and habitats around the country. For example, the company is working to bring back the American Chestnut near the Georgia-Pacific Big Island, Virginia, operations. The tree was nearly wiped out by a fungal disease in the 1900s. But working in partnership with The American Chestnut Foundation, Georgia-Pacific has planted over 500 saplings. The company has a 20-year commitment to monitor and manage the test plot.


What’s in a Tree?Forestry Scenario

Sustainable ForestTrip One: 1. Your forest has 30 trees.

2. Five are cut down.

3. Now you have 25 trees left in the forest—five groups of five.

4. You receive one new tree for each group of five. Plant five new trees.

Trip Two: 1. Your forest has 30 trees.

2. Five are cut down.

3. Now you have 25 trees left in the forest—five groups of five.

4. You receive one new tree for each group of five. Plant five new trees.

Unsustainable Forest

Trip One: 1. Your forest has 30 trees.

2. Ten are cut down.

3. Now you have 20 trees left in the forest—four groups of five.

4. You receive one new tree for each group of five. Plant four new trees.

Trip Two: 1. Your forest has 24 trees.


3. Now you have 14 trees left in the forest—two groups of five (plus four extra trees).

4. You receive one new tree for each group of five. Plant two new trees.

Trip Three: 1. Your forest has 16 trees.


3. Now you have 6 trees left in the forest—one group of five (plus one extra tree).

4. You receive one new tree for each group of five. Plant one new tree.

Trip Four: 1. Your forest has 7 trees.

2. 7 are cut down.

3. Now you have no trees left in your forest.

© 2

013

Geo

rgia

Pac

ific.

Text

and

des

ign

by T

he E

duca

tion

Cen

ter,

LLC

Nex

t G

ener

atio

n S

cien

ce S

tand

ard

5-E

SS

3-1

The

Sto

ry o

f Pa

per

H

ow m

any

diff

eren

t kin

ds o

f pap

er h

ave

you

used

toda

y? F

rom

card

boar

d bo

xes

to n

oteb

ooks

, pap

er is

all

arou

nd u

s.

Ea

ch ty

pe o

f pap

er is

mad

e a

little

diff

eren

tly. I

n ge

nera

l, to

mak

e pa

per,

tree

s ar

e cu

t and

tran

spor

ted

to a

mill

. At t

he m

ill, a

deba

rker

mac

hine

rem

oves

the

bark

from

eac

h lo

g.

Th

e lo

g is

con

vert

ed in

to w

ood

chip

s. T

he w

ood

chip

s ar

e pu

t

into

a p

ulp

dige

ster

, whe

re s

team

and

che

mic

als

brea

k th

em d

own

into

a w

ood

fiber

mix

ture

. The

mix

ture

, cal

led

pulp

, is

clea

ned

and

sent

to th

e pa

per

mac

hine

. A p

ump

spra

ys a

thin

laye

r of

pap

er

pulp

, whi

ch is

mos

tly w

ater

, ont

o a

mov

ing

wire

scr

een.

The

scr

een

can

be a

s la

rge

as 2

0 fe

et w

ide

and

can

trav

el a

t spe

eds

of 6

0

mile

s pe

r ho

ur. W

ater

is d

rain

ed a

nd th

e pu

lp fi

bers

bec

ome

pape

r.

Th

e da

mp

pape

r is

fed

onto

rol

lers

that

pre

ss a

nd d

ry it

.

The

pape

r is

then

rol

led

up, c

ut a

nd tu

rned

into

diff

eren

t pap

er

prod

ucts

—m

aybe

eve

n th

e pi

ece

of p

aper

you

’re h

oldi

ng r

ight

now

.

Did

yo

u k

no

w?

Ea

ch ti

me

pape

r is

rec

ycle

d, it

s fib

ers

get s

hort

er

and

even

tual

ly w

on’t

hold

toge

ther

. Tha

t’s w

hy th

ere’

s al

way

s a

need

for

new

woo

d fib

er in

the

pape

rmak

ing

and

pape

r re

cove

ry c

ycle

.

Nam

e

Dir

ecti

ons:

Rea

d th

e se

lect

ion.

Num

ber

the

sent

ence

s fr

om 1

to 9

to

sho

w th

e or

der

the

even

ts o

ccur

.

The

woo

d ch

ips

are

cook

ed w

ith c

hem

ical

s to

mak

e a

woo

d fib

er m

ixtu

re c

alle

d pu

lp.

The

pul

p is

fed

into

the

pape

r m

achi

ne.

The

dam

p pa

per

is p

ress

ed a

nd d

ried

.

Tre

es a

re c

ut in

to lo

gs a

nd tr

ansp

orte

d to

the

mill

.

Woo

d ch

ips

are

crea

ted

from

left

over

woo

d.

The

pul

p fib

ers

dry

toge

ther

.

The

pap

er is

rol

led

up a

nd c

onve

rted

into

pap

er p

rodu

cts.

The

bar

k is

rem

oved

from

eac

h lo

g.


Answer Key

The Story of Paper

The wood chips are cooked with chemicals to make a wood fiber mixture called pulp.

The pulp is fed into the paper machine.

The damp paper is pressed and dried.

Trees are cut into logs and transported to the mill.

Wood chips are created from leftover wood.

The pulp fibers dry together.

The paper is rolled up and converted into paper products.

The bark is removed from each log.

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5

7

1

3

6

8

2

what’s in a tree?

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