National Forest Products Week, 2000

Proclamation 7366 of October 14, 2000

National Forest Products Week, 2000

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In the early years of the 20th century, President
Theodore Roosevelt challenged his fellow citizens to
begin the vital task of conserving the precious natural
resources with which America has been so abundantly
blessed. As part of his notable conservation
achievements, he consolidated 65 million acres of
Federal forest reserves into the National Forest System
and created the United States Forest Service to provide
wise stewardship of these lands for future generations.

Today, the National Forest System comprises more than
190 million acres of forests and grasslands, a
priceless remnant of the great wilderness that once
stretched across our country. Whether sustaining
ecosystems, supplying water, providing lumber, or
offering recreation, these precious areas benefit
millions of Americans.

We must continue to sustain the health and beauty of
the forestlands President Roosevelt first set aside for
us so many decades ago. I am proud that my
Administration has made significant progress in
improving the management of Federal forestlands. With
science-based planning and research, we have sought to
achieve a balance between strengthening protections for
wildlife and water quality and providing a steady,
sustainable supply of the building materials, paper
products, and other commodities we need to meet the
challenges of our growing economy.

America's forests have always offered us unique and
irreplaceable benefits. They are a treasured
inheritance, and we must ensure in this new century
that our policies and actions sustain this precious
legacy for the prosperity and well-being of generations
to come.

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 15
through October 21, 2000, 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
fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand, and of the Independence of the United States
of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.