IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 144 
Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the American Tree Farm System. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 13, 2016 
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. SCHRADER, Mr. KILMER, 
Mr. NOLAN, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. GOODLATTE, Mr. WESTERMAN, 
and Mr. ROGERS of Alabama) submitted the following concurrent resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the American Tree 
Farm System. 
Whereas forests, covering one-third of the land in the United 
States, provide all citizens, clean drinking water, clean 
air, abundant wildlife habitat, renewable wood for build-
ings, furniture, energy, and paper needs, space to recre-
ate, as well as good-paying jobs across the Nation; 
Whereas most of the Nation’s forests are owned by the people 
who reside and steward our rural regions, families, and 
individuals; 
Whereas 75 years ago, the American Tree Farm System was 
founded to help family and individual woodland owners 
sustain their forests and the benefits we all receive from 
them; 
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•HCON 144 IH 
Whereas with more than 79,000 individuals and families, who 
combined manage more than 20,500,000 acres of forest, 
the American Tree Farm System remains a strong and 
essential program today to conserve and manage the Na-
tion’s forests and their benefits, especially in the face of 
growing pressures such as wildfires, invasive insects and 
diseases, and development pressures; 
Whereas tree farmers invest time, manpower, and personal 
funds to practice sustainable forest management on their 
working land so we can enjoy all the benefits these for-
ests provide us; 
Whereas the American Tree Farm System is made possible 
by volunteers from the local small woodlands associations, 
conservation organizations, State forestry agencies, forest 
products companies, and university extensions; 
Whereas to support our family forests and family woodland 
owners and support continued voluntary conservation on 
working forests, it’s important to expand the reach of the 
American Tree Farm System to additional woodland 
owners; and 
Whereas a similar resolution has now been proclaimed in 14 
States across the Nation: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the 
American Tree Farm System; 
(2) encourages the public to participate in ac-
tivities that celebrate this day with appropriate cere-
monies and activities that recognize the importance 
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of this vital program, working family-owned forests, 
the clean water, wildlife habitat, and wood supply 
they provide for the people of the United States; and 
(3) supports conservation and management of 
the Nation’s trees and forests through landowner 
participation in the Conservation Reserve Program, 
the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the 
Conservation Stewardship Program, and the Forest 
Stewardship Program, as authorized by the Agricul-
tural Act of 2014 and previous Farm Bills. 
Æ 
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