Proclamation 5553 --
National Forest Products Week, 1986
By
the President of the
A
Proclamation
The
greatness of our Nation is paralleled by the greatness of our forests. By providing
food, water, shelter, fuel, and the raw materials for thousands of products,
the forests sustained the pioneers, provided for our Nation's growth, and
assisted in our defense. Today our country, and indeed the entire world,
continues to need the products of our forests to meet social, economic, and
industrial demands.
We
have been blessed with an abundance of natural resources, and we have the
responsibility to be good stewards of our land. Throughout our history, when
people have cared for the forests, using them wisely and replenishing them in a
timely way, the forests and the Nation alike have prospered.
A
forest is a wondrous environment, with an amazing number of checks and balances
that maintain its vitality. Human intervention by knowledgeable, caring people
benefits forest productivity. Advances brought about through research and
implemented by professional land managers have significantly increased the
productivity of our forested lands.
Evidence
that productive forests benefit the people is all around us. Wood is an
essential component of the houses we live in, the furniture we sit on, the
newspapers we read, and countless other products we use every day. The jobs
generated by processing forest products are an important part of our economic
prosperity. The water most of us use is generated and purified by forest
ecosystems, and forests provide essential habitats for fish and wildlife.
Additionally, the recreation opportunities afforded by forests provide visitors
with rejuvenating experiences and help fuel thousands of business enterprises
that cater to our recreation needs. In short, proper use of our forest
resources can significantly increase the economic, social, and environmental
wealth and strength of our Nation.
To
promote greater awareness and appreciation of the many benefits of our forests
to our Nation's well-being, 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 authorized and requested the
President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week.
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of October, in
the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-six, and of the
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed
with the Office of the Federal Register,