How Does Paper Even Come From Trees?

You’re holding a sheet of paper, and it feels soft and easy to bend. But trees are hard. You can knock on them. They don’t fold.

So how did a tree turn into this thin paper in your hands?

If paper comes from trees, why can you rip it so easily? And why does paper get weak and fall apart when it gets wet?

It starts to feel less like magic once you realize what trees are actually made of. And what has to happen to them before they can ever become paper.