Re. Paper from hemp?

[Geoff Hart <geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

     John Hedtke raised interesting points about alternative sources of
     paper. In particular, he proposed using hemp as a paper substitute.
     (BTW, John, you're right that this _is_ an issue for this forum... as
     major paper consumers, we should understand the consequences of our
     choices.)

     To defend my position, I'll reiterate what I said in a longer earlier
     posting. The difference between paper made from conifers and that made
     from poplars is fiber length: poplars produce short fibers, thus
     low-strength paper. Hemp is in the same category (I've asked an expert
     to confirm this... stay tuned!). Hemp would thus be fine for office
     papers, but not for newsprint or packaging. I read something about
     seaweed with long fibers, which is a better alternative, particularly
     since it extracts pollutants from the endangered oceans and is less
     environmentally damaging to harvest. Stay tuned for this one too!

     Please note that hemp is an agricultural crop that grows on a short
     rotation (annually). Thus, you need constant injections of fertilizers
     and pesticides to grow it economically. (Hemp grows well if left on
     its own, but not in what farmers consider economical quantities.) Is
     this an improvement on harvesting forests? You be the judge. Forests
     grow back; pesticide- and fertilizer-killed streams don't. Moreover,
     you can't build furniture, houses and boats out of hemp. We still need
     conifers for some things, as I said earlier. Now if you want to say
     that we need to harvest them more appropriately... no argument there.
     That's what I do every day... help our researchers explain to the
     industry how to do so.

     --Geoff Hart     #8^{)}
     geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca

     Disclaimer: These comments are my own and don't represent the opinions
     of the Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada.