[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 118 (Thursday, August 5, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S6980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    UNITED STATES HARDWOODS INDUSTRY

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Agriculture 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 411, and 
the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 411) 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 to promote construction of environmentally 
     preferable commercial, public, or private buildings.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, there be no intervening action or debate, and that 
any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 411) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 411

       Whereas hardwood trees grown in the United States are an 
     abundant, sustainable, and legal resource, as documented 
     annually by the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program of the 
     Forest Service;
       Whereas, despite development pressure and cropland needs, 
     Department of Agriculture data show 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 
     that, when used 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 1 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 Senate--
       (1) recognizes that United States hardwoods are an 
     abundant, sustainable, and legal resource under United States 
     law; and
       (2) urges that United States hardwoods and products derived 
     from United States hardwoods should be given full 
     consideration in any program to promote construction of 
     environmentally preferable commercial, public, or private 
     buildings.

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