Key Facts: Straw Pulp and Paper

  • If straw pulping capacity existed to pulp only 25 percent of the available residue in North America for paper, it could make 10+ million tons of uncoated book and copy paper. That’s enough straw available every year to meet almost all of North America’s book and copy paper needs without cutting down Ancient and Endangered Forests.
  • Million of tons of straw are available in Canada and the United States for the production of agricultural residue pulp for paper and packaging.
    • Search tons of straw available by county in the US here.
    • Search tons of straw available by region in Canada go here.
  • More than 250 million trees could stay standing every year to store carbon and provide a home for endangered species.
  • According to an Ecological footprint study done by Kissenger et al, wheat and flax straw have 50% the ecological footprint of pulp made from forests in the Prairie Provinces of Canada.