Proclamation 7241—National Forest Products Week, 1999

From our earliest days as a Nation, America's forests have played a vital role in fostering our country's economic strength and enhancing the quality of our lives. American Indians and European settlers alike found in our forests the fuel and material for shelter to sustain their families and communities. From those same forests came timber for our fleets of sailing ships and the ties for our railroads that span the continent. Whether working in lumber mills or paper mills, for furniture manufacturers or the building industry, generations of Americans have earned their livelihood from the bounty of our forests.

Forests bring more, however, to our lives than economic prosperity. They provide invaluable habitat for a variety of plants and animals, help to keep our air and water clean, and promote soil stability. They also renew our spirits by offering us a place to experience the beauty, peace, and diversity of the natural world.

As our Nation has grown and developed, so too have our demands on our forests. We can be grateful that, despite decades of exploitation, forests still comprise as much as one-third of our country's land area today. Thanks to innovative management techniques, individual and corporate commitment to recycling, and close cooperation between Federal, State, and private land owners, we are succeeding in sustaining the health and productivity of these precious natural resources. Through continued wise stewardship, we can ensure that future generations of Americans will have the same opportunities to share the beauty and bounty of our forests as we enjoy today.

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. 123), 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 17 through October 23, 1999, 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 fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON