National Forest Products Week, 1994

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Proclamation 6744 of October 14, 1994

National Forest Products Week, 1994

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

America's National Forests grace more than 191 million
acres of our land. Thirty-four million of those acres
are part of our wilderness preservation system, which
works to safeguard this invaluable resource for future
use and enjoyment. The American National Forests are
among our country's greatest gifts--gifts we share with
all of Earth's creatures today and with generations of
new life to come.

One of our Nation's foremost priorities must be to
ensure that forest ecosystems are maintained and
protected. With proper care, these precious lands can
remain healthy, diverse, and resilient. We are moving
toward a new era in the stewardship of public lands.
Today, we recognize the importance of taking a
comprehensive approach--one that balances the needs of
our people and of the environment. Grounded in sound
science and compliance with existing law, sustainable
forest management presents our best hope for saving the
more than 250 threatened or endangered species of fish,
animals, and plants that have made this land their
home. At the same time, such management efforts offer
our best chance for building a lasting and productive
economic base for the people who have made this land
their life and livelihood.

America's National Forests provide for our Nation in
countless ways--from the houses we live in to the
newspapers we read to our spiritual and physical well-
being--the splendor and glory of nature's gift to
America enriches our daily lives immeasurably. National
Forest visitors enjoy more than 4,300 miles of wild and
scenic rivers for fishing, swimming, or just taking in
the view. Wood and paper products from forests are our
country's leading renewable natural resource,
accounting for about 4.2 percent of our Gross Domestic
Product and 8.5 percent of all manufacturing in the
United States, and supporting more than 1.7 million
American workers. Taxol, taken from the bark of certain
trees, has been found effective in treating some forms
of cancer. Althea, balsam gum, dill oil, and Indian
breadroot are just a few examples of products used for
medicinal purposes. Beargrass and white birch bark are
used for basketmaking and chair caning. Dandelion,
fern, and salmonberry shoots are used for cooking
spices, aromatics, animal bedding, and for dyes and
tanning that are a source of income for citizens across
the country.

In recognition of the central role our forests play in
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 the week
beginning October 16, 1994, as National Forest Products
Week and call upon all Americans to observe this week
with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and nineteenth.

(Presidential Sig.)>