Don’t try to pull a fast one on today’s consumers. They are more educated than ever. This includes greenwashing. Despite the many claims that digital is greener than paper-based communications, consumers are becoming increasingly aware that this isn’t true. Both paper and digital communications have environmental footprints. They are just different. But what many people don’t realize is that paper has something digital doesn’t have—a positive impact on the environment. It actually improves the life and health of forests. Here we offer three facts about paper and forests that many people don’t know.

1. Paper protects forests and encourages their growth.

Did you know that 60% of the forests in the United States are privately owned? Or that privately held forest products are responsible for more than 90% of the domestically produced paper products in the United States? Forest products provide landowners with a revenue stream. If they didn’t, those forests would be at risk of being sold for other revenue-producing uses, such as agriculture or development.

By using paper, you are protecting forests for future use. In fact, the net forest area in the United States has grown from 754 to 766 million acres between 2005 and 2015.

2. Paper promotes healthy forests.

Many landowners practice what is called “sustainable forest management.” This isn’t just letting the trees grow for a while before cutting them down. This is strategic management of the forest to maintain maximum health. Trees are carefully inspected, and harvesting occurs on a cycle that promotes the overall health of the forest. Certain species of trees are cut at certain times, promoting healthy forest growth. Trees at risk for disease are culled. Riparian areas (waterways) are protected.

By using paper, you are not only promoting the expansion of our nation’s forests, but you are encouraging them to be healthier, as well.

3. Paper promotes the protection and support of wildlife.

When forests are sustainably managed, they can be managed in ways that actually support different types of wildlife. For example, a forest groomed to promote lush undergrowth will attract more deer and small game. A forest groomed to have more open areas will promote the growth of certain grasses and bushes that draw different species of birds.

By using paper, you are helping to expand the biodiversity critical to the health of forests and to the planet as a whole.

When you are marketing with print and paper, you are doing more than providing a beautiful product that your customers trust. You are investing in the future of our planet.