Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 205 / Thursday, October 23, 2014 / Presidential Documents 63291 

Proclamation 9197 of October 17, 2014 

National Forest Products Week, 2014 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Our Nation’s forests are an essential element of our urban spaces and rural 

landscape. Covering more than 750 million acres across America, they create 

opportunities for recreation and habitats for wildlife, and their products 

play an integral role in our Nation’s economy and our daily lives. Paper 

and wood products allow us to communicate, teach, and learn. They provide 

us shelter and energy, and they package and deliver our food, medicine, 

and manufactured goods. And whether it is a paper containing the Gettysburg 

Address or a child’s crayon masterpiece, these products capture life’s memorable moments across generations. During National Forest Products Week, 

we celebrate the many uses of our natural bounty, and we renew our 

commitment to protect our forests and ensure these resources endure. 

Forest products are recyclable and renewable, and in a changing climate, 

responsible management of our Nation’s forests is even more important. 

Our forests purify the air we breathe and provide clean water to our communities. By absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, forests and forest products 

help reduce the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, removing roughly 

16 percent of our carbon emissions. In the face of increased threats to 

our forests—including diseases and insect infestations that spread more 

quickly, droughts that last longer, and wildfires that burn more frequently 

and more intensely—we are taking action to preserve these vital pieces 

of our environment and economy. As part of my Administration’s Climate 

Action Plan, we are increasing the resilience of our country’s forests and 

preserving their key role in mitigating climate change. 

My Administration is committed to safeguarding these green spaces across 

our country for the use and enjoyment of our children and grandchildren. 

Through our America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, we are empowering communities to do their part to protect their forested land, from urban parks 

to working forests. When cities and towns have the support they need 

to conserve their own resources, neighborhoods thrive and local economies 

grow. 

For centuries, our forests have shaped the character of our Nation and 

contributed to its expansion, and we have an obligation to ensure the next 

generation has access to the same drivers of progress. This week, we resolve 

to do our part to protect our forests and secure a cleaner, healthier future 

for posterity. 

To recognize the importance of products from our forests, the Congress, 

by Public Law 86–753 (36 U.S.C. 123), as amended, 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, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States 

of America, do hereby proclaim October 19 through October 25, 2014, as 

National Forest Products Week. I call on the people of the United States 

to join me in recognizing the dedicated individuals who are responsible 

for the stewardship of our forests and for the preservation, management, 

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63292 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 205 / Thursday, October 23, 2014 / Presidential Documents 

and use of these precious natural resources for the benefit of the American 

people. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth 

day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of 

the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 

thirty-ninth. 

[FR Doc. 2014–25295 

Filed 10–22–14; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3295–F5 


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