WILL NONWOODS BECOME AN IMPORTANT FIBER RESOURCE FOR

Total global papermaking fiber consumption is projected to increase from about 300 million tonnes for 1998 to about 425 million tonnes by the year 2010. All fiber resources will be required to meet projected demand including fast growth wood plantations, increased recycling and nonwood plant fibers from crop residues as well as fiber crops. An overview of the following topics is provided to address some of the issues faced by North American pulp and paper producers considering the use of nonwood plant fibers: • Estimated availability of nonwood fiber raw materials • Global wood versus nonwood paper pulp capacity • Leading countries with nonwood fiber pulping capacity • Constraints on global trade in nonwood fiber raw materials • Current and possible uses for nonwood fibers • Some issues relating to nonwood fiber use in the North American pulp and paper industry • Some typical projects which could be considered for the U.S. and Canad