Evergreen sap is rich in hydrocarbons, and the turpentine and rosins found in the trees are similar in composition to petroleum. Through polymerization, they can be altered chemically to become biodegradable versions of common plastics. While renewable bases for plastics are currently inferior in performance to petroleum, Tang’s laboratory just received the National Science Foundation CAREER award to further investigate and refine the chemistry to make them viable competitors. Together with Perry Wilbon, and Fuxiang Chu of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Tang published his review of terpenes, terpenoids, and rosin in the January edition of Macromolecular Rapid Communications.