You are correct that the smell from paper plants is horrible. Been past the Dupont plant down in S. Georgia many times. I believe it has to do with the sulfur they use to break down the wood for pulping. A worse smell (in my personal opinion) though, is a chicken processing plant.
10-25 years depending on the type of tree as I understand it. I believe North American Pine is the fastest growing, but, I’m not a logger – I just slept at a Holiday Inn Express… :)
Plastic bags hurt the environment, which doesn’t breakdown naturally like paper, and logging companies are required to reforest any areas they log – so not sure how anyone would think paper hurts the environment.
Little trick: Just tap the top of the can 5 or 6 times with the flat of your hand. Settles the soda down almost completely so you can open it safely.