OutdoorMN News - Looking for green gifts? Think wood

[Rick]

For holiday gift ideas, consider a locally made gift created from trees harvested in Minnesota. Wooden toys, handcrafts and keepsakes are a great green gift option. Wood is a renewable resource that is natural, nontoxic and eco-friendly.  

“Wood products are great green gifts for both kids and adults,” said Kristen Bergstrand, DNR utilization and marketing program coordinator. “Uniquely hand-crafted and individually customized wooden gifts are a wonderful option for a person who has everything.”

Wooden blocks, rocking chairs or horses, puzzles, rattles, picture frames and artisan bowls or wood crafts are unique items that are often passed down to future generations as family mementos.

Thousands of items are made from wood harvested in Minnesota forests. About 30 percent of the state’s wood fiber comes from state forest lands.

The Minnesota forest products industry brings $16.1 billion to local economies. The industry creates jobs and brings financial support to small and large manufacturing and retail businesses across the state.

Making products from trees often requires less processing and energy than plastic or other products. Wood is also renewable and reusable. Most wood products can be recycled and wood waste can be converted into green energy as biomass. Well-managed forests grow back into a forest after harvesting.

And buying wood products also helps the environment. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that causes global climate change, and store carbon in their wood. Locally made products from trees harvested in Minnesota use less fossil fuel for transportation than imported goods.

Visit the DNR wood products webpage to learn more about the benefits of buying and using wood products.

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