National Forest Products Week, 1999

Proclamation 7241 of October 15, 1999

National Forest Products Week, 1999

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

From our earliest days as a Nation, America's forests
have played a vital role in fostering our country's
economic strength and enhancing the quality of our
lives. American Indians and European settlers alike
found in our forests the fuel and material for shelter
to sustain their families and communities. From those
same forests came timber for our fleets of sailing
ships and the ties for our railroads that span the
continent. Whether working in lumber mills or paper
mills, for furniture manufacturers or the building
industry, generations of Americans have earned their
livelihood from the bounty of our forests.

Forests bring more, however, to our lives than economic
prosperity. They provide invaluable habitat for a
variety of plants and animals, help to keep our air and
water clean, and promote soil stability. They also
renew our spirits by offering us a place to experience
the beauty, peace, and diversity of the natural world.

As our Nation has grown and developed, so too have our
demands on our forests. We can be grateful that,
despite decades of exploitation, forests still comprise
as much as one-third of our country's land area today.
Thanks to innovative management techniques, individual
and corporate commitment to recycling, and close
cooperation between Federal, State, and private land
owners, we are succeeding in sustaining the health and
productivity of these precious natural resources.
Through continued wise stewardship, we can ensure that
future generations of Americans will have the same
opportunities to share the beauty and bounty of our
forests as we enjoy today.

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. 123), 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 17
through October 23, 1999, as National Forest Products
Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week
with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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