National Forest Products Week, 2013

Proclamation 9044 of October 18, 2013

National Forest Products Week, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Our Nation's forests are essential to our lasting
prosperity and to who we are as a people. These natural
wonders provide clean air and water for our communities
and abundant habitats for wildlife, as well as building
materials for our homes, and jobs and recreation for
workers and families across our country. During
National Forest Products Week, we celebrate the
sustainable uses of America's forests and the important
contributions they make to our economy and our national
life.

In addition to providing renewable supplies of wood and
energy and showing visitors of all ages the value of
preserving our natural spaces, forests play a critical
role in combatting climate change and protecting the
air we breathe through absorption of carbon dioxide
emissions. My Administration is committed to cutting
carbon pollution in the United States, and safeguarding
and restoring our forests will help us fulfill that
mission. We also continue to advance community-driven
conservation, preservation, and outdoor recreation
initiatives that are strengthening local economies and
contributing to the well-being of lands, waters, and
wildlife. Through the America's Great Outdoors
Initiative, we have put the communities that will
thrive when lands are healthy and abundant, and when
they draw visitors from around the world, at the
forefront of shaping conservation agendas across our
country.

The strength, diversity, and productivity of our
Nation's forests will be vital to our progress in the
years ahead. This week, we recommit to collaborating
across land ownership and landscapes, and we look to a
future where America's forests will enrich our country
for generations to come.

To recognize the importance of products from our
forests, the Congress, by Public Law 86-753 (36 U.S.C.
123), as amended, 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, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 20
through October 26, 2013, as National Forest Products
Week. I call on the people of the United States to join
me in recognizing the dedicated individuals who are
responsible for the stewardship of our forests and for
the preservation, management, and use of these precious
natural resources for the benefit of the American
people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
eighth.