[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 205 (Thursday, October 23, 2014)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 63291-63292]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25295]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 205 / Thursday, October 23, 2014 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 63291]]


                Proclamation 9197 of October 17, 2014

                
National Forest Products Week, 2014

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our Nation's forests are an essential element of our 
                urban spaces and rural landscape. Covering more than 
                750 million acres across America, they create 
                opportunities for recreation and habitats for wildlife, 
                and their products play an integral role in our 
                Nation's economy and our daily lives. Paper and wood 
                products allow us to communicate, teach, and learn. 
                They provide us shelter and energy, and they package 
                and deliver our food, medicine, and manufactured goods. 
                And whether it is a paper containing the Gettysburg 
                Address or a child's crayon masterpiece, these products 
                capture life's memorable moments across generations. 
                During National Forest Products Week, we celebrate the 
                many uses of our natural bounty, and we renew our 
                commitment to protect our forests and ensure these 
                resources endure.

                Forest products are recyclable and renewable, and in a 
                changing climate, responsible management of our 
                Nation's forests is even more important. Our forests 
                purify the air we breathe and provide clean water to 
                our communities. By absorbing and storing carbon 
                dioxide, forests and forest products help reduce the 
                greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, removing roughly 16 
                percent of our carbon emissions. In the face of 
                increased threats to our forests--including diseases 
                and insect infestations that spread more quickly, 
                droughts that last longer, and wildfires that burn more 
                frequently and more intensely--we are taking action to 
                preserve these vital pieces of our environment and 
                economy. As part of my Administration's Climate Action 
                Plan, we are increasing the resilience of our country's 
                forests and preserving their key role in mitigating 
                climate change.

                My Administration is committed to safeguarding these 
                green spaces across our country for the use and 
                enjoyment of our children and grandchildren. Through 
                our America's Great Outdoors Initiative, we are 
                empowering communities to do their part to protect 
                their forested land, from urban parks to working 
                forests. When cities and towns have the support they 
                need to conserve their own resources, neighborhoods 
                thrive and local economies grow.

                For centuries, our forests have shaped the character of 
                our Nation and contributed to its expansion, and we 
                have an obligation to ensure the next generation has 
                access to the same drivers of progress. This week, we 
                resolve to do our part to protect our forests and 
                secure a cleaner, healthier future for posterity.

                To recognize the importance of products from our 
                forests, the Congress, by Public Law 86-753 (36 U.S.C. 
                123), as amended, 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, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 19 
                through October 25, 2014, as National Forest Products 
                Week. I call on the people of the United States to join 
                me in recognizing the dedicated individuals who are 
                responsible for the stewardship of our forests and for 
                the preservation, management,

[[Page 63292]]

                and use of these precious natural resources for the 
                benefit of the American people.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                seventeenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                ninth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2014-25295
Filed 10-22-14; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F5