[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 74 (Thursday, April 29, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S2367]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 194--CELEBRATING THE 149TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARBOR DAY

  Mr. KING (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Braun, Ms. 
Baldwin, Mr. Crapo, Ms. Smith, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Manchin, Ms. Collins, 
Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Wicker) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 194

       Whereas Arbor Day was founded on April 10, 1872, to 
     recognize the importance of planting trees;
       Whereas Arbor Day is a time to recognize the importance of 
     trees and an opportunity for communities to gather and plant 
     for a greener future;
       Whereas Arbor Day is observed in all 50 States and across 
     the world;
       Whereas participating in Arbor Day activities promotes 
     civic participation and highlights the importance of planting 
     and caring for trees and vegetation;
       Whereas such activities provide an opportunity to convey to 
     future generations the value of land and stewardship;
       Whereas working forests have contributed to an increase in 
     the number of trees planted in the United States and are 
     sustainably managed, with less than 2 percent of working 
     forests nationally harvested each year;
       Whereas a key factor in preventing forest conversion and 
     deforestation is keeping forests productive;
       Whereas working forests are a critical part of a nature-
     based solution to climate change, and by providing a 
     continuous cycle of growing, harvesting, and replanting, 
     active forest management maximizes the ability to sequester 
     and store carbon and improves forest resilience;
       Whereas private forests play an important role in 
     conserving at-risk and declining species, and collaborative 
     conservation efforts can benefit species while also helping 
     to keep forests as forests;
       Whereas sustainably grown wood can be used in a wide 
     variety of resilient infrastructure and building 
     applications--from traditional timber framing to high-tech 
     bridges to high-rise buildings made of mass timber--and as a 
     natural, renewable, and biodegradable material, substituting 
     wood for other materials in buildings and bridges could 
     significantly decrease global carbon emissions;
       Whereas the Arbor Day Foundation and the Tree City USA 
     program have been committed to greening cities and towns 
     across the country since 1976, and in that time, more than 
     3,400 communities have made the commitment to becoming a Tree 
     City USA;
       Whereas Tree City USA communities are home to more than 
     143,000,000 people in the United States who are dedicated to 
     core standards of sound urban forestry management and who 
     dedicate resources and time to urban forestry initiatives, 
     which helps make their communities and our country a better 
     place to live;
       Whereas National Arbor Day is observed on the last Friday 
     of April each year; and
       Whereas April 30, 2021, marks the 149th anniversary of 
     Arbor Day: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes April 30, 2021, as ``National Arbor Day'';
       (2) celebrates the 149th anniversary of Arbor Day;
       (3) supports the goals and ideals of National Arbor Day; 
     and
       (4) encourages the people of United States to participate 
     in National Arbor Day activities.

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