[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 42 (Monday, October 25, 1993)]
[Page 2092]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6614--National Forest Products Week, 1993

 October 16, 1993

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Our National Forests are a priceless heritage, a gift that we hold 
in trust for future generations. As stewards of this inheritance, we 
have the obligation of preserving the capacity of these lands to 
sustain, not only themselves, but also the species that depend on them. 
Even as we strive to fulfill this obligation, the American people are 
asking fundamental questions about how our National Forests are managed 
and about how best to ensure a healthy and productive land.
    Much has already been done to protect our forests. Of the 191 
million acres of National Forest, 34 million have been set aside as part 
of the wilderness preservation system, a system that safeguards 
wilderness for future use and enjoyment. National Forests include more 
than 4,300 miles of designated segments of the National Wild and Scenic 
Rivers Systems. These rivers are maintained in a free-flowing condition 
for the enjoyment of this and future generations.
    Much more remains to be done, and we are only beginning to fathom, 
however incompletely, the complexities of the ecosystems of which our 
National Forests are composed. We know that over 250 threatened and 
endangered species of fish, animals, and plants inhabit National Forests 
and are dependent on them for survival. We also know that the key to 
protecting these and other species is to maintain healthy ecosystems 
through effective management of National Forests. In addition, we now 
understand that our forests are only one part of a global mosaic of 
forest ecosystems and that, if we are to be a world leader in 
environmental conservation, our stewardship must set standards for the 
world to emulate.
    Our National Forests are also vital to our physical and spiritual 
well-being. National Forests are the single largest provider of outdoor 
recreation in the United States, providing 288 million visitor days at 
Forest Service campgrounds, picnic areas, and other recreation 
attractions in the past year. Products generated from National Forests 
support jobs for hundreds of thousands of workers, most located in rural 
America. People whose livelihoods are dependent on forest products 
industries must be considered as we reexamine the role of National 
Forests in promoting the welfare of all Americans.
    Clearly, we are moving toward a new era in the stewardship of public 
lands. This new era is one in which we must blend environmental values 
with the needs of people in such a way that the National Forests 
represent diverse, healthy, productive, and sustainable ecosystems. 
Ecosystem management must be grounded on sound science and on compliance 
with existing law.
    In recognition of the central role our forests play in enhancing the 
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 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 the week beginning October 17, 
1993, as National Forest Products Week and call upon all Americans to 
observe that week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day 
of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, 
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and eighteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:58 p.m., October 18, 
1993]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
20.