Proclamation 5390—National Forest Products Week, 1985

From the dense stands of hardwoods in New England to the towering redwoods of California, America has been blessed with an abundance of forestland. There is much to praise in the beauty of our forests and much to be thankful for. John Muir once said of the forests of America that they "must have been a great delight to God; for they were the best He ever planted." They are also a great boon to man. Besides their beauty, they act as protectors of our drinking water and wildlife and provide us with abundant opportunities for recreation. They bring us cooling shade in summer and break the icy winter winds.

America's forests also are an unparalleled resource. For the past three centuries they have contributed greatly to the economic and social development of our Nation. From our forests come the lumber we use to build our houses and the paper for the books, magazines, and newspapers we read. Though we may sometimes overlook the fact in this age of technological breakthroughs, wood is an enduring and invaluable part of our everyday lives.

The Pennsylvania Dutch have a saying: "We don't inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." That is a profound insight we cannot afford to ignore. Fortunately, Americans have proven time and again that we see ourselves as the stewards of this abundant land of ours. We well understand that we cannot take our forests for granted. From the time of Gifford Pinchot, the Nation's first American born trained forester, Americans have sought and found ways to insure the health and improve the management of our forests. Today, we have reached a point where the growth of our forests exceeds the harvest. This has come about thanks to the continuing efforts of our Nation's forestry and natural resource schools, hundreds of trained foresters, and other resource specialists, working with private firms and local, State, and Federal agencies such as the United States Forest Service.

Through the success of sustained-yield forestry, Americans can enjoy the splendor of our Nation's woodlands, as well as benefit from an abundant supply of the numerous products that come from trees. The forests provide jobs for millions of people, and they afford a healthy environment for the many who take to the woods in their leisure time. Even though forests provide us with a variety of products today, we will still have-thanks to proper management—millions of acres of forest as a living legacy for generations to come.

To promote greater awareness and appreciation of the manifold benefits of our forest resources to our economy and the world economy, the Congress, by Public Law 86753 (36 U.S.C. 163), has designated the week beginning on the third Sunday in October of each year as National Forest Products Week.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning October 20, 1985, 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 fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and tenth.

RONALD REAGAN