There are many places in the world where trees don't grow or where they grow slowly, are in short supply, have been clear cut, or are viewed as too valuable for their ecosystem services (oxygen,habitat, erosion control, shade, etc) to be cut just to make paper. Luckily, paper can be made from lots of things!
1. Bamboo
I researched this plant as part of my work for Project Drawdown. Though some species look a lot like trees, bamboo is actually a grass. It grows quickly, resprouts from the ground, can grow in poor soils, and in places trees don't grow.
Bamboo paper is already quite popular in India and China.
2. Elephant Dung (and other high fiber dungs)
I learned about this one when it arrived in my Christmas stocking one year. This is a pretty good option in treeless locations or if you just want some fun paper for kids. Here is a handy link where you can shop the Poo Poo Paper Store by poo type!
You can go with the more local cow, horse, or donkey options, or go exotic with panda or moose!
Wow! I'll wait right here for you to buy some before reading this next similar but very different one.
3. Animal skin
Perhaps the grossest item on the list depending on your sensibilities, animal skin has long been used to record writings. Parchment and vellum are typically made from the skin of sheep, goats, and calves.
The Magna Carta is written on vellum.
4. Sugarcane residue
I just learned this one today and it was the inspiration for this article! Sugarcane is grown, you guessed it, for sugar. Like bamboo, it also grows quickly and once it has been processed for sugar, large amounts of fibrous plant material, or bagasse, remains.
5. Papyrus (one of the originals!)
This is the one we all learned about in school that the Egyptians wrote on. It has been used for paper for 4,500+ years. Papyrus is a sedge that grows in wetlands.
6. Cotton
This may be the least environmentally friendly option on the list since cotton requires large volumes of water and pesticides to grow (I'm assuming the animals aren't used just for their skin. Hopefully that is a safe assumption?).
Cotton is often found in fancier papers that need to be acid free to last a long time.
Feel free to check out my other posts on science, photography, volunteer computing, sustainability, cryptocurrencies with a purpose, and travel. Here are some of my favorites:
Photography and Travel
Hawaii – Lava and Plants
Death to Snowballs!
End of the Road – Lava!
Sunset Over Mt. Tamalpais, California
Toque Macaques in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
Birds on San Francisco Bay – With GIFs
My Favorite Places to Backpack in the US
Why You Should Visit Arkansas: Mountains, Rivers, Public Diamond Mines & Great Food!
Sleepy Lizard
Sustainability and Climate
Renewable Energy Now Provides More Electricity Than Nuclear in the US
Using Algae for Wastewater Treatment and Biofuel Production
Why Climate Progress Will Continue in the USA.
Six Non-tree Things Paper Can be Made From (I promise these are interesting)
Drawdown - The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
Science, Volunteer Computing, and Gridcoin
Let Your Computer Dream About Science While You Sleep (& Earn Cryptocurrency For Doing So!)
Steemit Writers, Science Needs Your Help! Get the word out on how any computer or Android can boost research on cancer, astrophysics, clean energy & more!
The Best Volunteer Computing Screensavers – Crowdsourcing Project
Scientists of Steemit! Tell us about your research on #Science!
BOINC – Impressive Accomplishments and Incredible Potential