The next time you're thinking of building a fire in your conventional wood fireplace, burn a...

The Lorax, the creature dreamed up by Dr. Seuss to speak for the trees, might be somewhat heartened by the development of this material. It is lumber that is made from wood fibers, reconstituted and bound with adhesive. It is useful in construction as it is strong and of consistent quality, and it requires about 50 percent of the wood in traditional, solid-wood lumber. The wood fibers used generally come from young, fast-growing timber trees-good news for the old growth trees that are saved from cutting as a result. Look for products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and that use formaldehyde-free binders-since formaldehyde can offgas and lead to indoor air quality concerns-or, failing that, choose one that was made with the safer phenol formaldehyde rather than urea formaldehyde.

It is easy to throw caution to the wind when the office is paying for supplies, business travel...