Proclamation 5263—National Forest Products Week, 1984

Aside from an industrious and imaginative people, no single natural resource has contributed more to the economic and social growth of this mighty Nation than its forests. Without forests to provide the renewable raw materials for our Nation, American history would have been written quite differently. Without the amazing power of forests to give birth to our great rivers and hold our soil in place, the United States would be much less productive. Without their great diversity as habitat and food source for wildlife, our rich array of fish, birds, and wildlife could not exist. These benefits from our vast forests have made this an abundant land.

The foresight we have shown in wise protection and use of forests ensures that they will continue to contribute to a bright future. Although a third of the United States—some 737 million acres—is forested, such continued abundance was in doubt at the beginning of this century. Forests were disappearing at an alarming rate, and timber famine was predicted. The forest conservation leadership of such people as President Theodore Roosevelt and the Nation's first trained forester, Gifford Pinchot, reversed that trend, leaving a legacy for which present and future generations can be deeply thankful.

The conservation legacy demonstrates that forests can be protected, while also being used for the economic and social benefit of mankind. Wood for our Nation's products is harvested from the vast forests but, like our food crops, new trees must be planted for the next generation. This simple, but critical, principle has proved its enduring worth beyond the dreams of the conservation pioneers. Each year we enjoy an abundance of harvest timber and, as a result, jobs for millions of workers in related industries.

To promote greater awareness and appreciation for the multiple benefits of our forest resources to the United States and world economy, the Congress, by Public Law 86-753 (36 U.S.C. 163), has designated the week beginning on the third Sunday in October as National Forest Products Week.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning October 21, 1984, as National Forest Products Week and request that all Americans express their appreciation for the Nation's forests through suitable activities.

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

RONALD REAGAN