[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 202 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 56075-56076]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28324]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 202 / Tuesday, October 20, 1998 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 56075]]
Proclamation 7142 of October 16, 1998
National Forest Products Week, 1998
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Our Nation has been blessed with abundant natural
resources, and among the most precious of these are our
forests. Because forests cover about one-third of the
land area of the United States, their splendor is not
limited to one region, but is shared by our entire
country. All Americans can experience the variety and
beauty of our forests, parks, and woodlands and share
the joys of hiking, camping, bird watching, and other
recreational activities. Likewise, all Americans
benefit from the essentials for life that forests
provide: clean water, clean air, soil stability,
pollution reduction, and a rich habitat for plants and
animals. Forests also supply us with products vital to
our society and economy, from building materials to
paper products to medicines.
Maintaining the health of our Nation's forests is an
important and delicate task. As we continue to grow,
both in terms of population and in land developed, we
put increased pressure on our forests and woodland
areas. In the past, such growth occurred without regard
to its impact and often threatened the very existence
of our forests and the diverse wildlife they support.
Learning from our mistakes, today we use wise forest
management strategies and careful stewardship to ensure
that our forests will remain both healthy and
productive.
Such management requires strong cooperation among
private citizens, government agencies, and the forestry
industry. Half of our Nation's forestlands belong to
private landowners, the Federal Government and State
governments own 40 percent, and the forest products
industry owns the remaining 10 percent. All three
groups have been working together to ensure the
sustainable development of our forests and woodlands.
State Foresters and Cooperative State Extension Agents,
with assistance from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, play a vital role in this endeavor,
helping private landowners properly manage their
forestlands through technical assistance, educational
programs, and voluntary incentives. Working in
partnership, government, industry, and private citizens
are making progress in the vital task of preserving the
health of America's forests and woodlands while
providing essential products to the American people.
To recognize the importance of our forests in ensuring
the long-term welfare of our Nation, the Congress, by
Public Law 86-753 (36 U.S.C. 163), has designated the
week beginning on the third Sunday in October of each
year as ``National Forest Products Week'' and has
authorized and requested the President to issue a
proclamation in observance of this week.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 18
through October 24, 1998, as National Forest Products
Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week
with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
[[Page 56076]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-third.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 98-28324
Filed 10-19-98; 12:05 pm]
Billing code 3195-01-P
