Proclamation 6204—National Forest Products Week, 1990

Ever since the first American colonists described for their contemporaries in Europe the splendor of the New World, this country's forests have been recognized around the globe for their majestic beauty. However, our forests have also been an invaluable resource, one that has played a singularly important role in the building of our Nation. Centuries ago, our forests provided Native Americans and European settlers with a variety of foods and raw materials for shelter, tools, and fuel. As the Nation expanded westward, they provided the timbers necessary to build ships and railroads for transportation and commerce, as well as telegraph and telephone lines.

Today we continue to rely on our Nation's forests and forest products in a multitude of ways. Forests serve as the habitat for much of our Nation's wildlife and provide a peaceful, scenic setting for family outings and other recreational activities. They also continue to provide raw materials for fuel, construction, and a variety of wood and paper products.

Although we have the choice of many different building products, we continue to value wood for our homes and furnishings. Wood is strong and durable, yet also flexible and versatile. New technology and techniques for its treatment, preservation, and design continue to increase its usefulness.

The Department of Agriculture reports that forest products contribute 4 percent to the Gross National Product and account for almost 2 million jobs in wood manufacturing and related industries and an estimated $25 billion in annual wages to working men and women. According to the Department, the forest industry ranks among the top 10 employers in 48 of the 50 States. Forest products thus make a significant contribution to our Nation's economic strength and progress, as well as to our individual physical comfort and well-being.

Unfortunately, in the past, our ancestors did not always recognize the need for careful stewardship of our forest resources. Taking for granted this country's vast, dense forests and striving to meet the great and urgent demands of a growing Nation led to rapid and sometimes wasteful use of forest resources. Forest cut-out and move-out practices were, for too long, assumed to be an inevitable part of development, while conservation strategies were viewed as a limitation on progress. Fortunately, however, a more enlightened view of forest management eventually emerged. Farsighted leaders such as President Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot, the Nation's first trained forester, successfully contended that systematic and scientific management of our forests could guarantee their productivity for years to come.

While it is clear that forests can be used to meet consumer needs, it is also clear that they must be replenished in a timely manner -- especially when natural regeneration does not appear to be sufficient. Over the years careful studies and experience have helped us to imporve management of this precious, yet renewable, resource. In deed, today's forest managers view the forest as a whole ecosystem that, when handled wisely, can ensure a sustained yield of forest products. Policies and practices developed according to this view oare compatible with other environmental interests such as watershed and wildlife protection. Targeting research to develop more environmentally sensitive methods of harvesting forest products and increasing cooperation among government and private forest managers are keys to successful stewardship of this vital natural resource.

Each of us has a stake in the stewardship of our Nation's forests. Ensuring that our children and our children's children are able to enjoy abundant natural resources and a healthy environment calls for personal action. Accordingly, local governments are rapidly organizing recycling programs in which every citizen can participate. Each American can also make a difference by planting trees. Through Federal efforts such as the America the Beautiful initiative, every State, community, and individual in the Nation will have the opportunity to help plant and maintain nearly 1 billion trees per year across the country. These trees, planted in both urban and rural areas, will stand in addition to the more than 2 billion trees planted regularly through previously established government programs and existing private efforts.

In recognition of the value of our forests, the Congress, by Public Law 86-753 designated the week beginning on the third Sunday in October of each year as "National Forest Products Week" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning October 21, 1990, 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 twelfth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth.

GEORGE BUSH