[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 202 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 56075-56076]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28324]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 202 / Tuesday, October 20, 1998 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 56075]]


                Proclamation 7142 of October 16, 1998

                
National Forest Products Week, 1998

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our Nation has been blessed with abundant natural 
                resources, and among the most precious of these are our 
                forests. Because forests cover about one-third of the 
                land area of the United States, their splendor is not 
                limited to one region, but is shared by our entire 
                country. All Americans can experience the variety and 
                beauty of our forests, parks, and woodlands and share 
                the joys of hiking, camping, bird watching, and other 
                recreational activities. Likewise, all Americans 
                benefit from the essentials for life that forests 
                provide: clean water, clean air, soil stability, 
                pollution reduction, and a rich habitat for plants and 
                animals. Forests also supply us with products vital to 
                our society and economy, from building materials to 
                paper products to medicines.

                Maintaining the health of our Nation's forests is an 
                important and delicate task. As we continue to grow, 
                both in terms of population and in land developed, we 
                put increased pressure on our forests and woodland 
                areas. In the past, such growth occurred without regard 
                to its impact and often threatened the very existence 
                of our forests and the diverse wildlife they support. 
                Learning from our mistakes, today we use wise forest 
                management strategies and careful stewardship to ensure 
                that our forests will remain both healthy and 
                productive.

                Such management requires strong cooperation among 
                private citizens, government agencies, and the forestry 
                industry. Half of our Nation's forestlands belong to 
                private landowners, the Federal Government and State 
                governments own 40 percent, and the forest products 
                industry owns the remaining 10 percent. All three 
                groups have been working together to ensure the 
                sustainable development of our forests and woodlands. 
                State Foresters and Cooperative State Extension Agents, 
                with assistance from the U.S. Department of 
                Agriculture, play a vital role in this endeavor, 
                helping private landowners properly manage their 
                forestlands through technical assistance, educational 
                programs, and voluntary incentives. Working in 
                partnership, government, industry, and private citizens 
                are making progress in the vital task of preserving the 
                health of America's forests and woodlands while 
                providing essential products to the American people.

                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. 163), 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 18 
                through October 24, 1998, as National Forest Products 
                Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week 
                with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

[[Page 56076]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-third.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 98-28324
Filed 10-19-98; 12:05 pm]
Billing code 3195-01-P