On 2/7/96 Matt Nepesca writes:
>
> Hemp usage as a viable paper fiber has become quite a popular topic, and I
> am glad that forestry professionals are choosing to address the issue.
> I am very fearful that in the coming years, we may choose to replace our
> growing forests with agriculturally produced annual fiber sources. Tree
> farms and working forests provide an array of wildlife habitats and
> ecological functions. There is a limited land supply available for fiber
> production in the U.S. If we choose to grow hemp instead of trees, are we
> going to be forced to replace forests with agricultural fields?
> I realize that we may start to see alternative fiber sources in the
> coming years, but why would forest growers choose to experiment with hemp,
> given the immediate association with marijuana? There seems to be many
> other alternative annual crops that provide equal if not better fiber yields
> than hemp. If someone on this listserver is knowledgable of alternative
> fiber sources, I would be extremely interested in knowing more.
> As for hemp, I'll let the marijuana legalization crowd fight their own
> battles. My interest is in natural resource production, not recreational
> drug use.
Matt,
I agree wholeheartedly with your observation that the alternative
fiber movement has been co-opted by those seeking to legalize marijuana.
As a drug-free activist myself, I tire of the stereotypic images that we
so often see in the media that all environmentalists are pot-smoking,
birkenstock-wearing hippies who need to get a job and a haircut. I
continually rail against those environmentalists who refuse to explore
other alternative fibers because they are so committed to legalizing
pot. The general assumption being that if we can get the american public
to wear hemp clothes and write on hemp paper, then we'll be one step
closer to legalization.
There are in fact several other viable alternative fibers, kenapf
and sisal(hennequien) to name just two. Sisal is a yucca-like plant
indigenous to Mexico (particularly the Yucatan Peninsula) and Kenapf is
from Africa. Both species do quite well with limited ammounts of water,
and do thus would be better suited for more marginal lands than those
that are currently being utilized for forestry and agriculture. I have
personally used 100% Kenapf paper, and the quality is quite good; it even
works just fine in our laser printers and photocopiers. Also, the fiber
yield per acre comparisons between wood products and alternative fibers
show that alternative fiber crops usually produce about 5-10 times the
fiber yield per acre than wood products (I will provides citations for
this data). My hope is that those involved in pulp production won't
denegrate alternative fiber options only because they see these options
as a threat to their bottom line.
Bret Diamond
Oregon, USA
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