Paper is one of the most common things in our daily life. Even e-book is widely used nowadays, we humankind still cannot live without paper. Paper is actually a sheet of uniformly spread cellulose fibers, and the following is its magnified view. Plant cell wall contains mush cellulose fibers. Consequently, plant material with much more cell wall is a source of the “pulp” from which paper is made. And wood is much better source of cellulose than grassy material. As it’s known to us all, paper is actually dried and compressed mat of plant fibers. Different kinds of trees contain different plant fibers, which can produce different textures of paper. And here comes the question: what kinds of trees are used to make paper?
What Kind of Trees Are Used to Make Paper?
Generally speaking, paper is often made from blend kinds of fibers, in order to combine the qualities of each type of pulp. Recycled paper is usually made of a blend of both new and recycled fibers and it is usually used to make newsprint, paperboard and tissue paper. Generally speaking, all trees can be used to make paper. Below are some of the most common kinds of trees used for making paper.
Hardwood Trees Used to Make Paper
Acacia
Black Wattle: Acacia mollissima and mearnsii are native to Australia, grown in east and south Africa and other parts of the world. It is a large genus of shrubs, lianas and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The tree has wide application in industry, such as making biomass pellets and briquettes as fuel, making paper, manufacturing furniture and making art.
Aspen Tree
- European Aspen: Native to Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales, grown across Europe including Sweden, Poland and Russia. Also found in northern Africa and Asia. European aspen tree is one of the most widely distributed trees in the world.
- Quaking or Trembling Aspen: Grown from Alaska to Newfoundland and southward to Virginia, the Rocky Mountains, extending south to southern Arizona and northern New Mexico.
Birch
The birch tree is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus Betula. It is generally small to medium-sized trees or shrubs, mostly of northern temperate and boreal climates.
- American Birch: Occurs in South eastern Canada and many east coast states in US including Vermont, New York and Tennessee as well as northern Europe and northern Asia.
- Downy Birch: Grown in Sweden and Finland.
- European Birch: Grown in Europe, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.
- Paper Birch: Found across southern Canada and as far and wide as Alaska, Wyoming, Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the USA.
- Silver Birch: Grown in central Spain and the US but primarily found in northern and eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, Norway, Finland and Sweden.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees and shrubs (including a distinct group with a multiple-stem mallee growth habit) in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It thrives in mild climates and dry, sandy sites and grows quickly into a beautiful shade tree. Many types grow as fast as 10 to 15 feet per year. The mature height varies with the species, from shrubs to tall trees. Eucalyptus is mainly distributed in the following areas:
- Portugal and Spain.
- Brazil, Portugal, Spain and Australia.
- Portugal and Spain.
- Brazil.
- Eastern Australia.
- Portugal and Spain.
- Brazil, Portugal, Spain and Australia.
Maple
Maple tree also caked acer, is a genus of tree or shrubs. It has 128 species over the world. Most of the species are native to Asia, and more and more species are also seen in Europe, northern Africa, and North America. Maple trees generally grow to 10-45 meters height. Many maple trees are known for their autumn leaf color, but a few are evergreen.
- Red Maple: Found in south eastern Canada and 34 states in the US from Vermont to Texas.
- Silver Maple: Grown in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec in Canada and 35 US eastern states.
Oak
- Black Oak: Found in Ontario in Canada and 35 US eastern states.
- California Black Oak: Grown throughout south west Oregon, Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada, Southern California.
- Red Oak: Found in south east Canada including New Brunswick and Ontario and 33 US eastern states.
- Scarlet Oak: Occurs in Ontario in Canada and in 28 US eastern states.
Poplar
- Balsam Poplar: Found across southern Canada and 34 US states including Alaska, California and Delaware.
- Yellow Poplar: Occurs in 30 states in the US including Texas, Louisiana and Virginia.
Softwood Trees Used to Make Paper
Fir
- Balsam Fir: Found in southern Canada and 15 north eastern US states.
- Douglas Fir: Occurs in Great Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Alberta and British Columbia in Canada, US west coast states such as Arizona, California and Nevada as well as New York.
Pine
- Chile Pine or Monkey Puzzle Tree: Native to Chile and Patagonia, grown in Brazil.
- Jack Pine: Found in Arctic Circle, southern Canada, including Yukon Territory, as well as 14 US states such as Alaska and Indiana.
- Loblolly Pine: Native to 15 south eastern states in the US including New Jersey, Florida and Texas.
- Lodgepole Pine: Native to both Alaska and Mexico and includes the Pacific Coast variety (contorta). Latifolia grows in the Rocky Mountains, the United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Sweden and south west of Canada while murrayana grows in south western Washington, western Oregon, California and New Zealand.
- Radiata Pine: Native to California, grown in New Zealand, Australia, Chile, South Africa, Spain, France, Argentina, Greece, India, Guadeloupe Island and Mexico.
- Scots Pine: Grown from Scotland to the Pacific Coast of Siberia, Finland, Sweden and Norway to Spain, Arctic Siberia to Mongolia, Mediterranean, south eastern Canada and north eastern United States, from New England to Iowa.
Spruce
- Black Spruce: Found in north Alaska, spreading east in British Columbia, Canada, and south in the US to New Jersey and west to Minnesota.
- Red Spruce: Grown east from Ontario to Nova Scotia in Canada, and from New England southwards to the mountains of North Carolina and eastern Tennessee in the US.
- White Spruce: Occurs in Great Britain, across north America from Alaska, spreading east in British Columbia, Canada, and south in the US to Maine, west to Minnesota, north western Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming.
- Norway Spruce: Found throughout Europe such as the UK, Finland, Norway and Sweden (except Denmark and the Netherlands), south eastern Canada and the north east, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast regions in the United States.
- Sitka Spruce: Grown in the UK, Norway and Sweden as well as British Columbia, Yukon Territory, Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington.
Western Hemlock
Occurs in Alberta and on the coast of British Columbia in Canada, Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington in the US, Japan, China and India.
