[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 130 (Tuesday, September 15, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H9517-H9519]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1430
  RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE UNITED STATES 
                           HARDWOODS INDUSTRY

  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 81) recognizing the importance and sustainability 
of the United States hardwoods industry and urging that United States 
hardwoods and the products derived from United States hardwoods be 
given full consideration in any program directed at constructing 
environmentally preferable commercial, public, or private buildings.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                               H. Res. 81

       Whereas hardwood trees grown in the United States are an 
     abundant, sustainable, and legal resource, as documented by 
     annually by the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program of the 
     United States Forest Service;
       Whereas, despite development pressure and cropland needs, 
     Department of Agriculture data shows that the inventory of 
     United States hardwood has more than doubled over the past 50 
     years;
       Whereas the Department of Agriculture reports that annual 
     United States hardwood growth exceeds hardwood removals by a 
     significant margin of 1.9 to 1, and net annual growth has 
     exceeded removals continuously since 1952;
       Whereas the World Bank ranks the United States in the top 
     10 percent of all countries for government effectiveness, 
     regulatory quality, and rule of law with respect to hardwood 
     resources;
       Whereas United States hardwoods have been awarded the 
     highest conservation crop rating available under the 
     Department of Agriculture Environmental Benefits Index;
       Whereas United States hardwoods are net absorbers of carbon 
     and are widely recognized to be critical to reducing the 
     United States carbon footprint;
       Whereas United States hardwoods are a valuable raw material 
     which, when utilized properly, provide an incentive for 
     landowners to maintain their land in a forested condition 
     rather than clearing the land for development or other 
     alternative land use;
       Whereas United States hardwoods are a renewable resource 
     and bio-based material;
       Whereas United States hardwoods are recyclable, and 
     hardwoods used in construction can often be restored and 
     reused in later construction;
       Whereas United States hardwoods are grown primarily in 
     those States located along or east of the Mississippi River 
     and in the Pacific Northwest, but, with a presence in every 
     State, the hardwood industry is one of the major sources of 
     economic activity and sustenance in many rural communities;
       Whereas United States hardwoods are grown by thousands of 
     small family landowners who may harvest trees only once or 
     twice in a generation; and
       Whereas United States hardwoods and the products derived 
     from United States hardwoods are prized throughout the world 
     as a superior and long-lasting building material: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes that United States hardwoods are an 
     abundant, sustainable, and legal resource under the United 
     States rule of law; and
       (2) urges that United States hardwoods and products derived 
     from United States hardwoods should be given full 
     consideration in any program directed at constructing 
     environmentally preferable commercial, public, or private 
     buildings.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Holden) and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 81 recognizes the importance of the U.S. 
hardwoods industry and recognizes the value of sustainable, abundant 
hardwoods as an important building material.
  In the United States hardwood trees are grown primarily by small-
family forest landowners who use long-term sustainable practices to 
grow and manage their trees.
  I encourage my colleagues to support this resolution recognizing the 
important role of hardwood producers in the United States of America.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution offered by the 
gentleman from Indiana. The hardwood industry is an important industry 
for many rural communities across the country, employing more than 
500,000 people in all 50 States. The products of this industry are a 
part of our daily lives. Indeed, we can see the products of their labor 
in this very Chamber.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution calls for any future green building 
programs to give full consideration to the inclusion of hardwood 
material. This is a commonsense idea to allow the clean, renewable 
resources to be included in any program that promotes environmentally 
friendly construction of public and private buildings.
  The hardwood industry is of vital economic importance to hundreds of 
thousands of families across rural America, and I believe it's 
important to show these families that we appreciate the work they do 
and the responsible manner in which they cultivate their natural 
resources.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 4 minutes to the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Ellsworth).
  Mr. ELLSWORTH. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 81, which 
recognizes the importance and sustainability of the United States 
hardwoods industry. I introduced this resolution along with Congressman 
Geoff Davis of Kentucky and a group of our colleagues from across the 
country. This bipartisan support demonstrates the national importance 
of our domestic hardwood lumber industry, and I am pleased this 
Congress is recognizing the contributions the hardwood industry makes 
to both our economy and our environment.
  Hardwood forest owners are stewards of a valuable national resource, 
and their efforts to conserve hardwood forests have been a remarkable 
success. Over the last 50 years, hardwood lumber stocks have more than 
doubled and hardwoods continue to grow almost twice as fast as they are 
harvested. The U.S. Forest Service analysis supports the evidence of 
this strong conservation record: the Forest Service's forest

[[Page H9518]]

inventory and analysis program has documented hardwood trees to be an 
``abundant, sustainable, and legal resource.''
  Our hardwood forests are managed by thousands of small landowners and 
families who take care of this resource. Constituents of mine in 
southwest Indiana play a role in maintaining our hardwood stocks, and 
the same is true both throughout Indiana and across this country. 
Americans should be proud of this strong environmental record, and as 
Members of Congress, we ought to keep this fact in mind as we look for 
opportunities to support best practices in stewardship and 
environmental management.
  For example, environmentally preferable construction programs are 
increasingly important to the building and trade industry; and should 
Congress direct support for these programs, we should remember domestic 
hardwoods and their potential to contribute to an environmentally 
friendly future. I was proud the House passed an amendment I offered to 
H.R. 2187 earlier this year to preserve sustainable hardwood lumber as 
a green construction resource for local school districts.
  I thank my colleagues for their support of this resolution and of the 
domestic hardwood lumber industry.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 81, a resolution that recognizes the importance and sustainability 
of the United States hardwood industry and urges that the United States 
hardwoods and the products derived from U.S. hardwoods be given full 
consideration in any program that's directed at constructing 
environmentally preferable commercial, public, or private buildings.
  As the title of the resolution indicates, we feel it's important that 
Congress recognizes the importance and sustainability of U.S. hardwoods 
and the industry as a whole. This is especially imperative as Congress 
considers changes to existing or new programs and standards that 
include green building requirements or guidelines. Green buildings are 
designed to cut down on energy costs and encourage the use of 
sustainable or renewable resources to protect our environment. What 
better renewable resource than American-grown hardwood? Hardwoods meet 
both of these criteria and must be included in any congressional 
initiative that encourages or requires the construction of 
environmentally friendly buildings.
  In addition to playing a key role in green building, the hardwood 
industry is one that has created thousands of jobs in nearly every 
State and in hundreds of congressional districts. In Kentucky we have 
over 1,200 hardwood businesses alone, as well as over 100 in Kentucky's 
Fourth District. Two that I would point out would be GreenTree Forest 
Products in Fleming County, Kentucky, which employs hundreds of local 
people in the Buffalo Trace counties of central Kentucky and also 
harvests plants, sustains and renews its fiber hardwood products in 
that area; and Northland Corporation, a finishing operation that 
produces very high-quality hardwoods from the State and the region that 
are exported to the entire world as part of the global economy.
  At a time when unemployment has increased to a staggering 11 percent 
in Kentucky and 9.6 percent nationwide, it's crucial that we support 
the many small hardwood industry businesses that keep our communities 
going, create local jobs, and keep people employed.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Ellsworth) for 
working with me on this bipartisan resolution. I would also like to 
thank our 51 cosponsors for helping us to get this resolution to the 
floor, including my fellow Kentuckians, Congressmen Rogers, Whitfield, 
Chandler, and Guthrie.
  H. Res. 81 is an important statement acknowledging the environmental 
attributes of hardwoods, as well as the importance of this industry for 
jobs in our communities. I urge support for the resolution.
  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Childers).
  Mr. CHILDERS. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, today I am also proud to be a cosponsor of House 
Resolution 81 and see this important measure brought to the floor for a 
vote.
  I represent Mississippi's First Congressional District, a district 
strong in forestry and timberland. This industry is dominated by small-
based, family-owned businesses which will benefit from the passage of 
this resolution. These small landowner businesses often have fewer than 
50 acres, much of which may at one time have been crop or cattle farm. 
Many landowners have rededicated these lands solely to the production 
of timber. These timber stands are valuable long-term investments which 
expand to job opportunities in a myriad of related businesses: 
sawmills, logging, trucking, insurance, and many others.
  Hardwood lumber growers and manufacturers in Mississippi's First 
District are valuable members of the communities in which they live 
and, like many others in Mississippi, have children and grandchildren 
who hope to stay in these businesses and continue to enjoy all that 
life offers closer to home. Hardwood timber stands are a critical part 
of savings and investment for many of my First District families. 
Without strong markets for lumber, those investments would plummet.
  House Resolution 81 will help ensure stronger markets without 
government intrusion. Instead, we are offering a strong statement from 
the House that this private enterprise industry is one which should 
continue to reap the rewards of decades of good business decisions and 
stewardship of the land.
  The benefits of Mississippi hardwoods are much the same as the 
benefits enjoyed in nearly every State of the union, from the sheer 
beauty these forests offer to the hundreds of good jobs tied to them. I 
urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on this important 
measure.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Perriello).
  Mr. PERRIELLO. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of recognizing the importance of 
sustaining the United States hardwoods industry.
  As an Eagle Scout growing up in the shadow of the Blue Ridge 
Mountains, I developed a deep respect for our country's great natural 
resources. Today we will recognize that our hardwood industry also 
plays a crucial role in sustaining not just the local economies of our 
Nation but many of the counties in central and Southside, Virginia. 
Across the Commonwealth of Virginia, over 180,000 jobs are provided in 
the forest products industry, a number that must be maintained during 
these tough economic times.
  The impact of hardwood as an industry in Southside, Virginia, 
includes businesses like Columbia Forest Products, which produces a 
formaldehyde-free hardwood plywood, and also Swedwood, the first Ikea 
manufacturing plant in the United States. I am committed to continuing 
my work to put Southside, Virginia, at the forefront of advanced wood 
products manufacturing. This includes the Danville Community College's 
Center for Advanced Manufacturing in Wood Products Technology and 
ensuring that forestry is given its due consideration in carbon offsets 
and efforts for this country's energy independence. Products from our 
forestry industry provide innovative ways to continue on the path to 
energy independence while maintaining American jobs.
  I thank Mr. Ellsworth and other colleagues and other allies for their 
support of the hardwood industry.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOLDEN. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the resolution, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Holden) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 81.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

[[Page H9519]]



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