[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 43 (Monday, October 27, 1997)]
[Page 1617]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7042--National Forest Products Week, 1997

October 17, 1997

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    America's forests are a precious resource, making numerous rich 
contributions not only to the natural splendor of our Nation, but also 
to the well-being of our people. Whether part of the vast acreages that 
make up our industrial, State, and National forests or rural woodlots 
and urban forests, they offer us clean water and air, priceless wildlife 
habitat and fisheries, welcome settings for recreation, and breathtaking 
beauty. Our forests also provide us with more tangible products 
essential to everyday living: wood and paper products for our homes, 
schools, and offices, and even medicines and food.
    While the wood products we harvest from our forests can be so 
durable that they last for centuries, forest ecosystems themselves are 
very fragile. America's growing population and urban expansion are 
putting ever-increasing demands on forest lands and resources. We must 
work together to devise imaginative forest management approaches that 
will allow us to preserve and cultivate healthy forest ecosystems, meet 
the need for forest products, provide jobs for those who depend on 
forests for their livelihood, and continue to offer Americans enjoyable 
recreational opportunities.
    Fortunately, forest research is equipping us with vital knowledge 
that can help us to balance the many and varied demands on our 
woodlands. Thanks to such research, we are now using new products and 
innovative technologies and employing new recycling methods that not 
only extend the available supply of raw materials, but also help us to 
process those materials more efficiently and with fewer harmful by-
products. This use of science to balance the needs of our people both 
for forest products and a healthy environment will help us to achieve 
our goal of sustainable forest management.
    All of us are indebted to past generations of Americans whose vision 
and generosity preserved so many of our Nation's great forests for our 
use and pleasure. Now it falls to us to continue their wise stewardship 
so that we may pass on to future generations this priceless natural 
legacy.
    In recognition of the central role our forests play in 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 19 through October 25, 
1997, as National Forest Products Week. I call upon all Americans to 
observe this week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day 
of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, 
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and twenty-second.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 20, 
1997]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
21. This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.