[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 144 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 144

   Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the American Tree Farm System.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 13, 2016

 Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. Schrader, Mr. Kilmer, 
Mr. Nolan, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Goodlatte, Mr. Westerman, and Mr. 
Rogers of Alabama) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
              was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

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                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the American Tree Farm System.

Whereas forests, covering one-third of the land in the United States, provide 
        all citizens, clean drinking water, clean air, abundant wildlife 
        habitat, renewable wood for buildings, furniture, energy, and paper 
        needs, space to recreate, as well as good-paying jobs across the Nation;
Whereas most of the Nation's forests are owned by the people who reside and 
        steward our rural regions, families, and individuals;
Whereas 75 years ago, the American Tree Farm System was founded to help family 
        and individual woodland owners sustain their forests and the benefits we 
        all receive from them;
Whereas with more than 79,000 individuals and families, who combined manage more 
        than 20,500,000 acres of forest, the American Tree Farm System remains a 
        strong and essential program today to conserve and manage the Nation's 
        forests and their benefits, especially in the face of growing pressures 
        such as wildfires, invasive insects and diseases, and development 
        pressures;
Whereas tree farmers invest time, manpower, and personal funds to practice 
        sustainable forest management on their working land so we can enjoy all 
        the benefits these forests provide us;
Whereas the American Tree Farm System is made possible by volunteers from the 
        local small woodlands associations, conservation organizations, State 
        forestry agencies, forest products companies, and university extensions;
Whereas to support our family forests and family woodland owners and support 
        continued voluntary conservation on working forests, it's important to 
        expand the reach of the American Tree Farm System to additional woodland 
        owners; and
Whereas a similar resolution has now been proclaimed in 14 States across the 
        Nation: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the American Tree 
        Farm System;
            (2) encourages the public to participate in activities that 
        celebrate this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities 
        that recognize the importance of this vital program, working 
        family-owned forests, the clean water, wildlife habitat, and 
        wood supply they provide for the people of the United States; 
        and
            (3) supports conservation and management of the Nation's 
        trees and forests through landowner participation in the 
        Conservation Reserve Program, the Environmental Quality 
        Incentives Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and 
        the Forest Stewardship Program, as authorized by the 
        Agricultural Act of 2014 and previous Farm Bills.
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