Proclamation 5553

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

The greatness of our Nation is paralleled by the greatness of our forests. By providing food, water, shelter, fuel, and the raw materials for thousands of products, the forests sustained the pioneers, provided for our Nation's growth, and assisted in our defense. Today our country, and indeed the entire world, continues to need the products of our forests to meet social, economic, and industrial demands.

We have been blessed with an abundance of natural resources, and we have the responsibility to be good stewards of our land. Throughout our history, when people have cared for the forests, using them wisely and replenishing them in a timely way, the forests and the Nation alike have prospered.

A forest is a wondrous environment, with an amazing number of checks and balances that maintain its vitality. Human intervention by knowledgeable, caring people benefits forest productivity. Advances brought about through research and implemented by professional land managers have significantly increased the productivity of our forested lands.

Evidence that productive forests benefit the people is all around us. Wood is an essential component of the houses we live in, the furniture we sit on, the newspapers we read, and countless other products we use every day. The jobs generated by processing forest products are an important part of our economic prosperity. The water most of us use is generated and purified by forest ecosystems, and forests provide essential habitats for fish and wildlife. Additionally, the recreation opportunities afforded by forests provide visitors with rejuvenating experiences and help fuel thousands of business enterprises that cater to our recreation needs. In short, proper use of our forest resources can significantly increase the economic, social, and environmental wealth and strength of our Nation.

To promote greater awareness and appreciation of the many benefits of our forests to our Nation's well-being, 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 authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning October 19, 1986, as National Forest Products Week and urge that all Americans express their appreciation for our Nation's forests through suitable activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eleventh.

RONALD REAGAN

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:18 a.m., October 16, 1986]