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Tree Trust Act Transmittal & Tree Planting Ceremony 3/20/90 [OA 4727] [1]
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26
16
2
2
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 22, 1990
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
DURING TREE PLANTING CEREMONY
The South Lawn
11:00 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Well, please be seated. Thank you
Secretary Yeutter, Bill Reilly and Chairman Deland. To Senators
Lugar and Leahy and Congressman Kiki de la Garza, the chairman also
in the House Ag Committee, and distinguished members of Congress
here. I want to single out two other special friends, pioneers in
this greening effort -- tree planting -- Trammell Crow and Margaret
from Dallas, Texas. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen. Irv, I
haven't forgotten you -- Irv Williams, who was introduced by Clayt --
really does so much to just keep the White House grounds beautiful.
And we're indebted to him every single'day that we have custodianship
of this lovely house. Welcome to all of you to an event which
celebrates how trees can perserve and protect out great outdoors.
I want to talk just a little about the precious
inheritance of trees passed from one generation to another. We see
it in the great ebonies of India, or the sequoias in California --
the lush rainforests of South America, and the evergreens of the
Alps. Their very presence demands that we renew and restore the
natural beauty of our land. Trees do enhance our atmosphere --
providing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide. A tree planted today
can enrich the lives of generations yet unborn.
Just think, on these grounds stands a tree planted by
John Quincy Adams in 1826. Nearby is the spot where Woodrow Wilson's
family so loved bay trees that they often ate lunch in a makeshift
grove. And not far from here is the little-leaf linden planted in
1937 by Franklin Roosevelt for Britain's King George VI. Next to the
Oval Office -- there you'll find an oak tree planted by President
Eisenhower. There's a swing on it -- you can almost see it over past
that Suburban over there -- often our grandchild swings on it. And I
expect in the future many other grandchildren of presidents will do
the same.
Trees are truly an inheritance that links generations of
America. Last summer a terrible windstorm swept through Washington.
I remember thinking of these trees around us, and the link they
provide. Truth is that Barbara and I were a little worried about
them -- Grover Cleveland's Japanese spiderleaf, for instance, or
Herbert Hoover's oak. They're old trees and maybe I'm beginning to
feel an affinity for them with my birthday coming up, but
nevertheless, they're special. For instance, the magnolia over there
was planted by Andrew Jackson, the one next to the South Portico.
Thankfully, the trees here weren't damaged in that storm.
Elsewhere in Washington it was a different story. A lot of people
out the next morning surveying the damage, mourning the loss of a
favorite oak or an elm, regarding it with concern and affection, just
as you would view a friend.
Trees can be fragile, they can be sturdy, but they are
always precious. So in the budget I submitted to Congress, I asked
for $175 million to plant one billion trees a year. Today, I'm
asking Congress to approve another step to protect the environment.
We call it the National Tree Trust Act of 1990. It will foster the
MORE
- 2 -
partnership between public and private sectors to plant trees all
across America.
Under our plan, we will designate a private nonprofit
foundation to receive a one-time federal grant to promote community
tree planting and cultivation projects. A foundation to solicit
contributions from private sources, forging cooperation between
individuals, businesses, governments and community organizations. It
will sound a nationwide call for each American to become a volunteer
for the environment. And most of all, plant the trees that clean our
air, prevent erosion, consume carbon dioxide, and purify our water.
This act can preserve the heritage of trees: their beauty that is
breathtaking, and their bounty that is breathgiving.
As you can imagine, the foundation's funding won't simply
come out of the woodwork. In addition to the $35 million in federal
money we're proposing, the foundation will begin to raise millions of
dollars more to help reforest America. The Tree Trust Act will work
by using State Forestry agencies and private tree-planting
organizations. Volunteers helping thousands of new volunteers to
learn not only how and where to plant trees, but how to care for
them, why we need them, and how they help the environment. Our
foundation will be one of a Thousand Points of Light, creating 10
billion "trees of life." By planting trees in all 50 states, we'll
knock Johnny Appleseed out of the Guinness Book of Records.
The National Tree Trust Act of 1990 is a key part of our
national tree planting and forest improvement initiative to be
administered by the Ag Department. This two-part program involves
both rural areas as well as local tree-planting programs in the
cities. And it, in turn, is crucial to my America the Beautiful
program, which I announced in the State of the Union.
I am proud of America the Beautiful. It will help
maintain and expand our parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and public
lands. I do love the outdoors and I love exploring it with those who
are the trustees of our future.
What we're doing today is planting the seeds of
environmental stewardship. And that means not only planting trees,
but other steps just as vital. Clean air, for example. Our clean
air proposal promises relief from the smog, acid rain, and toxic
pollution that harms trees and people. Once again, I call on the
Congress to pass the bill. We're also working hard on energy
efficiency, and pollution prevention. Clean oceans. Global
cooperation. Just as a tree grows, with roots and branches
spreading, our efforts on all these issues will reach into the
future.
Nearly a quarter of a century ago, perhaps America's
greatest conservationist, Teddy Roosevelt put it best when he called
our lands and wildlife "the property of unborn generations.' And he
when he said this about America's sequoias and redwoods: they
"should be kept just as we keep a great and beautiful cathedral."
Today, ours is the chance to keep that cathedral great
and beautiful. By planting not only sequoias and redwoods, but
poplars and maples and cypress and sassafras. And I can't think of a
better time to begin than this spring -- the 20th anniversary of an
event -- Earth Day -- Teddy Roosevelt would have loved that one.
Four weeks from now we'll celebrate it. But I thought
we'd get a head start this morning. So I'm pleased to be able to
join Barbara as she plants this eastern red bud blossoming tree in a
few minutes. By comparison to other trees it seems small today. But
so, years ago, did the special tree beside me. My kids were the age
of some of you when it, too, was planted by President Eisenhower.
And when you're my age, Barbara's tree can be just as strong --
embody just as much history -- do just as much to ensure the splendor
of America.
Trees are an inheritance precious to our cathedral of the
0
MORE
- 3 -
outdoors. So just look around us and in that context let me thank
again Irv -- Irv Williams, thank you, sir -- and all the people of
the White House grounds staff for the tender loving care they give to
our trees and flowers.
So let us plant the trees and nurture them so that
America will remain America the Beautiful for generations to come.
I am very pleased that all of you came today. And now
with no further ado, let's get on with the tree planting.
(The tree is planted.)
END
11:09 A.M. EST
123312SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 3/17/90
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TREE TRUST ACT TRANSMITTAL AND TREE PLANTING
SOUTH LAWN
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1990
SUBJECT:
3:00 PM
(3/16 - 5:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
ROGERS
CARD
CICCONI
PINKERTON
WINSTON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
DELAND
PETERSMEYER
GRAY
FIRESTONE
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
8E :6v 61 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
1990 MAR 16 PM 6. 22
March 16, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON w
FROM:
CURT SMITH
CS
SUBJECT:
TREE TRUST ACT TRANSMITTAL AND TREE PLANTING
I. SUMMARY
On Tuesday, March 20, at 3:00 p.m. you will address
about 250 conservationists, government employees, Congressmen and
children on the South Lawn. Secretary Yeutter will introduce you
and Secretary Lujan, Administrator Reilly, and Chairman Deland
will accompany you on the stage. Also, Senators Leahy and Lugar
and Congressmen de la Garza and Madigan will attend.
II. DISCUSSION
The remarks (8 minutes, speechcards) describe the
universal appeal of trees. The text also focusses on the
importance of trees to maintaining a pure environment. To
promote this cause, you will sign the transmittal of the Tree
Trust Act of 1990.
After the signing you will join Mrs. Bush in planting
a Eastern Red Bud tree.
(Smith/Blessey)
5:00 P.M.
March 16, 1990
TREE
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TREE TRUST ACT
SOUTH LAWN
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1990
3:00 P.M.
Secretaries Yeutter and Lujan. Administrator Reilly.
Chairman Deland. Senators Leahy and Lugar. Congressmen de la
Garza and Madigan. Distinguished guests. Ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to the White House. And to an event which celebrates how
trees can preserve and protect our great outdoors.
((You know, I've been involved in planting so many trees
around the country, I may have to open a branch office.) //
But today, I'm truly glad to be in America's home office.
And to talk about the precious inheritance of trees passed from
one generation to another. //
We see it in the great ebonies of India, and towering
Sequoias of California -- the lush rainforests of South America,
and the evergreens of the Alps. Their very presence demands that
we renew and restore the natural beauty of our land. // Trees
enhance our atmosphere -- providing oxygen and absorbing carbon
dioxide. A tree planted today can enrich the lives of
generations yet unborn. //
Just think: On these grounds, stands a tree planted by John
Quincy Adams -- 1826. Nearby is the spot where Woodrow Wilson's
family so loved bay trees that they often ate lunch in a
2
makeshift grove. // Not far from here is the little-leaf
linden planted in 1937 by Franklin Roosevelt for Britain's King
George VI. // Next to the Oval Office -- there you'll find an
oak tree planted by President Eisenhower. There's a swing on it
-- many days filled by my granddaughter Marshall. Trees are
truly an inheritance that links generations of Americans. //
((Last summer a terrible windstorm swept through Washington.
I remember thinking of these trees around us -- and the link they
provide. Truth is, Barbara and I were a little worried about
them -- Grover Cleveland's Japanese spiderleaf, for instance, or
Herbert Hoover's oak. Maybe it's because I feel an affinity:
Some of them were a little long in the tooth. // For instance,
that magnolia over there was planted by Andrew Jackson. [NEXT TO
SOUTH PORTICO] // Thankfully, the trees here weren't damaged.
((But elsewhere in Washington, it was a different story.
And the next morning people were out surveying the damage.
Mourning the loss of a favorite oak or elm. Regarding it with
concern and affection -- as a family would a friend.) )) //
Trees can be fragile, they can be sturdy -- but they are
always precious. So in the budget I submitted in January to
Congress, I asked for $175 million to plant 1 billion trees a
year. Today, I'm asking Congress to approve another step to
protect the environment. We call it the National Tree Trust Act
of 1990. It will foster the partnership between the public and
private sectors to plant trees across America.
3
Under our plan, we will designate a private nonprofit
Foundation to receive a one-time Federal grant to promote
community tree planting and cultivation projects. A Foundation
to solicit contributions from private sources, forging
cooperation between individuals, businesses, governments and
community organizations. It will sound a nationwide call for
each American to become a volunteer for the environment. And
most of all, plant the trees that clean our air, prevent erosion,
consume carbon dioxide, and purify our water. These acts can
preserve the heritage of trees: Their beauty that is
breathtaking -- and their bounty that is breathgiving. //
As you can imagine, the Foundation's funding won't come out
of the woodwork. // In addition to the $35 million in Federal
money we're proposing, the Foundation will begin to raise
millions of dollars more to help reforest America. // The Tree
Trust Act will work by using State Forestry agencies and private
tree planting organizations. Volunteers helping thousands of new
volunteers to learn not only how and where to plant trees. But
how to care for them -- why we need them -- and how they help the
environment. // Our Foundation will be one of a Thousand Points
of Light, creating Ten Billion Trees of Life. By planting trees
in all fifty States, we'll knock Johnny Appleseed out of the
Guinness Book of Records. //
The National Tree Trust Act of 1990 is a key part of our
national tree planting and forest improvement initiative, to be
administered by the Agriculture Department. This two-part
4
program involves both rural areas as well as local tree planting
programs in our cities. And it, in turn, is crucial to my
"America the Beautiful" program, which I announced in my State of
the Union Address.
I'm proud of "America the Beautiful." It will help maintain
and expand our parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and public
lands. While it's not true that I'm going to build a tree house
out here, and call it 1600 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue. // It is
true: I love the outdoors. // And I love exploring it with
those who are the trustees of our future. //
((Think of your sons or daughters -- they know what I mean.
Seeing the Grand Tetons through the eyes of a teenager. Or
teaching youngsters about the mysteries of the ocean. It's at
times like these that we realize, more than ever, how our
children will inherit the earth.)) //
What we are doing today is planting the seeds of
environmental stewardship. That means not only planting trees
but other steps, just as vital. Clean air, for example. Our
clean air proposal promises relief from the smog, acid rain, and
toxic pollution that harm trees and people. Once again, I call
on the Congress to pass that bill. We're also working hard on
energy efficiency, and pollution prevention. Clean oceans.
Global cooperation. Just as a tree grows, with roots and
branches spreading, our efforts on all these issues will reach
into the future.
5
Nearly a century ago, perhaps America's greatest
conservationist, Teddy Roosevelt, put it best when he called our
lands and wildlife "the property of unborn generations." And he
said this about America's sequoias and redwoods: they "should be
kept just as we keep a great and beautiful cathedral." //
Today, ours is the chance to keep that cathedral great and
beautiful. By planting not only sequoias and redwoods -- but
poplars and maples and cypress and sassafras. // And I can't
think of a better time to begin than this Spring -- the 20th
anniversary of an event -- Earth Day -- Teddy Roosevelt would
have loved.
Four weeks from now we'll celebrate it. But I thought we'd
get a head start this afternoon. So I'm pleased to be able to
join Barbara as she plants this Eastern Red Bud blossoming tree
in a few minutes. // It seems small today. But so -- years ago
-- did the special tree beside me. // My kids were the age of
some of you when it, too, was planted by President Eisenhower. //
And when you're my age, Barbara's tree can be just as strong --
embody just as much history -- do just as much to ensure the
splendor of America.
Trees are an inheritance precious to America's cathedral of
the outdoors. // Let us plant them -- nurture them. So that
America will remain America the Beautiful for all the generations
to come. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. Now
it is my pleasure to sign the transmittal to Congress of the
National Tree Trust Act of 1990.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
March 16, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Tree Trust Act
I have reviewed the draft presidential remarks for the Tree
Trust Act and have also seen the editorial suggestions made by
Jim Pinkerton, which with I agree.
The most fundamental point is that there are three goals
being served by this effort:
O
Aesthetics -- making America more beautiful;
O
Environment -- enhancing the quality of the air by
providing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide; and
O
Service -- encouraging volunteerism.
All three are mentioned with the dominant theme aesthetics.
I share Jim's view that the draft could usefully be strengthened
by somewhat greater emphasis on the environmental benefits. We
have taken a few hits as to whether we are meeting the
expectations generated by the phrase "the Environmental
President." This is a great opportunity to emphasize our
environmental commitment in an arena in which no one has yet
claimed that we are not doing enough.
I hope that these comments are helpful. If you have any
questions, please let me know.
CC: James W. Cicconi
28 Sd 91 MAR 06
Document No.
123312
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
03/15/90
2:00 p.m. Friday 03/16
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TREE TRUST ACT
(03/15 5:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
PINKERTON
CICCONI
WINSTON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
DELAND
GRAY
PETERSMEYER
HAGIN
FIRESTONE
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 03/16, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
1990 MAR 15 PM 5: 39
5:00 P.M.
March 15, 1990
TREE
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TREE TRUST ACT
SOUTH LAWN
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1990
Secretaries Lujan and Yeutter. Members of the Congress.
Distinguished guests. Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the
White House. And to an event which celebrates how trees can
preserve and protect our great outdoors.
( (You know, I've been involved in planting so many trees
around the country, I may have to open a branch office. )) //
But today, I'm truly glad to be in America's home office.
And to talk about the precious inheritance of trees passed from
one generation to another. //
We see it in the great ebonies of India, and towering
Sequoias of California -- the lush rainforests of South America,
and the evergreens of the Alps. Their very presence demands that
we renew and restore the natural beauty of our land. For not
only do trees enhance our atmosphere -- providing oxygen and
absorbing carbon dioxide. A tree planted today by a grandfather
can enrich the lives of a grandson or -daughter yet unborn. //
Just think: On these grounds, stands a tree planted by
Thomas Jefferson -- 1808. And nearby is where Woodrow Wilson's
family SO loved bay trees that they often ate lunch in a
makeshift grove. // Not far from here is the little-leaf
linden planted in 1937 by Franklin Roosevelt and England's
2
visiting King George VI. 11 And next to the Oval Office -- there
you'll find an oak tree planted by President Eisenhower. And
there's a swing on it -- most days filled by my granddaughter
Marsha. Trees are truly an inheritance that links generations of
Americans. //
( (Last summer a bad windstorm swept through Washington. And
I thought of these trees -- and the link they provide. Truth is,
Barbara and I were a little worried about them -- John Quincy
Adams' elm, for instance, or Herbert Hoover's oak. Maybe it's
because I feel affinity: Some of them were a little long in the
tooth. // For instance, that magnolia over there was planted by
Andrew Jackson. // Thankfully, the trees here weren't damaged.
( (But elsewhere in Washington, it was a different story.
And the next morning people were out surveying the damage.
Mourning the loss of a favorite oak or elm. Regarding it with
concern and affection -- as a family would a friend. )) //
Ask anyone that morning, and they would tell you: Trees are
precious -- but fragile. So in the budget I submitted last month
to Congress, I asked for $175 million to plant 1 billion trees a
year. And today I'm asking Congress to approve another step to
protect the environment. We call it the National Tree Trust Act
of 1990. And it will foster the partnership between the public
and private sectors to plant trees across America.
Our plan will create a private nonprofit Foundation to
receive a one-time grant to promote community tree planting and
cultivation projects. A Foundation to solicit, and oversee,
3
public contributions. And forge cooperation between individuals,
businesses, governments and community organizations. Most of
all, it will sound a nationwide call for each American to become
a volunteer. Increasing the beauty of trees that is
breathtaking. And the bounty of trees that is breathgiving. //
As you can imagine, the Foundation's funding won't come out
of the woodwork. // But from the Department of Agriculture, so
ably led by Secretary Yeutter. // And it will work by using
State Forestry agencies and groups like the American Forestry
Association's Global Relief Campaign. Volunteers helping
thousands of new volunteers to learn not only how and where to
plant trees. But how to care for them -- why we need them -- and
how they help the environment. // Today, only one tree is being
planted for every four that die or are removed. Our Foundation
can help change that -- as one of a Thousand Points of Light,
creating a Billion Trees of Life. The result? We'll knock
Johnny Appleseed out of the Guinness Book of Records. //
The National Tree Trust Act of 1990 is a key part of our
national tree planting and forest improvement initiative, to be
administered by the Agriculture Department. And that initiative,
in turn, is crucial to my "America the Beautiful" program, which
I submitted to Congress last month.
I'm proud of "America the Beautiful." It will help maintain
and expand our parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and public
lands. For while it's not true that I'm going to build a tree
house out here, and call it 1600 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue. // It
4
is true: I love the outdoors. // And I love exploring it with
those who are the trustees of our future. 11
( (Think of your sons or daughters -- they know what I mean.
Seeing the Grand Tetons through the eyes of a teenager. Or
teaching youngsters about the mysteries of the ocean. It's at
times like these that we realize, more than ever, how our
children will inherit the earth. )) //
Nearly a century ago, perhaps America's greatest
conservationist put it best. For it was Teddy Roosevelt who
called our lands and wildlife "the property of unborn
generations." And he said this about America's sequoias and
redwoods: "They should be kept as we keep a great and beautiful
cathedral.' //
Today, ours is the chance to keep that cathedral great and
beautiful. By planting not only sequoias and redwoods -- but
poplars and maples and cyprus and elms. // And I can't think of
a better time to begin than this spring -- the 20th anniversary
of an event -- Earth Day -- Teddy Roosevelt would have loved.
Four weeks from now we'll celebrate it. But I thought we'd
get a head start this afternoon. So Barbara will shortly join me
to plant a Red Bud blossoming tree. // It seems small today.
But so -- years ago -- did the special tree just behind me. //
My kids were the age of some of you when it, too, was planted by
President Eisenhower. // And when you're my age, this tree can
be just as strong -- embody just as much history -- do just as
much to ensure the splendor of America.
5
Trees are an inheritance precious to America's cathedral of
the outdoors. "11 So let us plant them -- nurture them. So that
America will remain America the Beautiful for all the generations
to come. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. And
now it is my pleasure to sign the transmittal to Congress of the
National Tree Trust Act of 1990.
#
#
#
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
thank or Mich str. seels Life X
Today I am pleased to transmit a legislative proposal
by
entitled the "National Tree Trust Act of 1990. " This proposal
is a key part of my "America the Beautiful" initiative, and it
would enhance the growing partnership between the public and
private sectors to plant trees across America. Also transmitted
is a section-by-section analysis.
President Theodore Roosevelt began this century by
directing the Nation's attention to the protection of valuable
public lands -- America's treasure trove of parks, wildlife
refuges, forests, and rangelands. As the end of the century
approaches, it is appropriate that this final decade be one
in which conservation, enhancement, and protection of our
irreplaceable national assets rise to the forefront of national
concerns. With this as our goal, my fiscal year 1991 Budget
proposes a new initiative -- "America the Beautiful." Our
initiative reflects my support for appropriate expansion and
proper maintenance of the Nation's parks, refuges, forests, and
public lands. It is also based on my determination to involve
all Americans in strengthening the Nation's natural resources
heritage. Finally, this initiative expresses my firm commitment
to providing responsible stewardship of the country's heritage
for the benefit of generations to come.
My "America the Beautiful" initiative includes three
components. First, we propose to expand Federal recreational
land acquisition, which involves activities of the Departments
of the Interior and Agriculture. Second, the Department of the
Interior is undertaking an effort -- "Legacy '99" -- to enhance
resource protection and recreation. Third, we propose a
national tree planting and forest improvement initiative, to be
administered by the Department of Agriculture. These components
will largely be implemented under existing authorities.
The proposal I am transmitting to the Congress today
authorizes Presidential designation of a private nonprofit
Foundation to receive a one-time grant for the purpose of
2
promoting community tree planting and cultivation projects. It
also authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Agriculture
for a grant to permit the Foundation to begin its important
work. The Foundation will promote public awareness and a spirit
of volunteerism, solicit private sector contributions, and
oversee the use of these contributions to encourage tree
planting and cultivation projects throughout the United States.
The Foundation will help forge cooperation between
individuals, businesses, governments, and community
organizations and provide financial assistance to grass-roots
volunteers to plant trees. It will help draw national attention
to the need for increased planting of trees in our communities
where, on average, only one tree is now being planted for every
four that die or are removed. It is a program that will reach
every State, if not each and every community. All of our
citizens will be encouraged to participate in this program.
Trees are one of our most valuable resources. They
contribute to the environmental, economic, and social well-being
of this country. They enhance biodiversity, wildlife, air and
water quality, and recreational opportunities. Trees improve
landscape esthetics and property values, reduce soil erosion,
and provide many valuable wood products. They also contribute
to energy conservation through the shading and cooling of
buildings and by serving as windbreaks.
Enactment of this proposal will permit us to harness the
efforts of individuals and organizations to undertake the
nationwide planting and cultivation of invaluable trees. The
prompt passage of this proposal by the Congress will demonstrate
our shared commitment to preserving one of our most valuable
natural resources, our precious heritage of trees. Let us
ensure that our descendants will be able to share our pride in
referring to this land as "America the Beautiful.'
GEORGE BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 8, 1990.
500 people
THE WHITE HOUSE
200 kids
WASHINGTON
100 Mumbers Lstillin question)
5-7 minutes
March 12, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR SPEECHWRITING
FROM:
AUSTEN FURSE
SUBJECT:
Suggested Language For Tree Trust Event
Mrs Bioh will plant a Red Bd (blossoming tree)
The following is suggest language for the Tree Trust
Event. This envisions the President ending his brief
remarks with a "boilerplate" sentence or two to the effect
that he is duly transmitting to the Congress, legislation
intended to establish a National Tree Trust.
I have often described the forces of freedom and
democracy which are spreading around the globe as a New
Breeze. In a similar sense, there is a New Breeze of
global environmental responsibility that is sweeping the
world as well -- slowly, quietly, perhaps, but
insistently, and, in the end, triumphantly.
If we can start this environmental spirit moving here at
home, then a New Breeze of global stewardship, based on
mankind's kinship through our common home, the earth,
will whisper from the branches of the great Sequoias to
the fragile lushness of the tropical rainforests to the
ebonies of India and the Alpine evergreens.
The legislation which I am today sending to Congress is
only one step, but a significant step in creating a new
atmosphere of activism: that the world will join
together to foster nature and preserve the earth, so
that generations as yet unimagined will pay tribute to
those who planted their seedling in the distant past.
O The forests are the sanctuaries of mankind. In a
spiritual sense they refresh and renew the human spirit.
In a different sense they change the very atmosphere --
the atmosphere of the earth, because trees produce
oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide; and the atmosphere of
human endeavor, because every tree is a compact, a link,
between the generations.
Look at the true behind me planted by Eisenhower.
I was about your Age when (more) it was planted This tree I'm
phonting might seem smoll of fragile today, but with care
it will could be by the size of the Eisenhower true when you
one MY ore.
2
Last summer, as some of you will remember, we had a
pretty bad windstorm sweep through Washington. Barbara
and I were a little worried about some of the tree's out
here. Some of these trees are a little long in the
tooth. That magnolia there was planted by Andrew
Jackson. Related to the magnolias at The Hermitage.
Thankfully, we didn't have any casualties. But
elsewhere in the nation's capital, it was a different
story. In no time, people were out surveying the
damage, mourning the loss of a favorite oak or elm like
the passing of a cherished friend.
Many people took time to count the rings on the fallen
trees in order to see when in history those trees had
been planted. Many of the fallen trunks were quite
ancient. Some had been around at the time of the
nation's founding. Others had shaded troops during the
Civil War. In every case there was a sense that here
was something of nature which took so long to develop
that it was incomprehensible that it should so easily be
destroyed.
These fallen trees, then, were a reminder that man's
institutions, indeed man himself, like nature's
creations, are fragile things despite their antiquity,
despite their being rooted in deep soil, despite the
nurturing of a thousand caring hands. What we take from
these centurions of nature is the idea that we must
prudently and carefully nurture our traditions and
resources.
That is why I am seeking a new politics of conservation.
Because it is only through conserving -- preserving --
our ancient heritage both of nature and civilization,
that new and beneficial growth may be maintained.
Natural creation is perishable. Human creation is
perishable. But ideas that are true are imperishable.
Our Founding Fathers said that our country is based upon
certain self-evident truths. These truths have not
perished despite tremendous trials. The forests, like
the truth, echo eternity. Every American knows
intuitively the idea that we must delay our
gratifications, we must sacrifice, in order to provide
for future satisfactions, for future generations. That
is the lesson that trees teach us.
(more)
3
The importance of reforestation is bound up in the idea
that we have an obligation to the earth. We are
reminded every day by little hints that we must devote
ourselves to repairing and renovating the resources that
we inherited.
Take the pencil you used today. It is, of course, made
of wood. It is almost as if the tree that produced that
pencil is leafing out again when we use it on leaves of
paper. The point is that our human endeavors, even if
it is only writing on a sheet of paper, have their
beginning and their end in nature. So by rededicating
ourselves to restoring nature, we are also restoring
ourselves.
###
"in the woodwork"
1/2 P. jokes
1/2- 3/4 P wonder of trees (Ansten)
1/2-3/4 P. on foundation LSEB highlights)
lp. of planting tree and children & future generations
Dian This foundation will ensure that America
will remnin be America the Beatiful for generations
to come.
[Band plays America the Beatif1]
[ POTUS of FLOTUS So plant tree]
Document No. 123312
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
03/15/90
2:00 p.m. Friday 03/16
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TREE TRUST ACT
(03/15 5:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
P
CICCONI
PINKERTON
WINSTON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
DELAND
GRAY
PETERSMEYER
HAGIN
FIRESTONE
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 03/16, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
Are comments AP
1:21 : 2 91 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
1990 MAR 15 PM 5: 39
5:00 P.M.
March 15, 1990
TREE
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
TREE
TRUST
ACT
SOUTH LAWN
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1990
Secretaries Lujan and Yeutter. Members of the Congress.
Distinguished guests. Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the
White House. And to an event which celebrates how trees can
preserve and protect our great outdoors.
( (You know, I've been involved in planting so many trees
around the country, I may have to open a branch office. )) //
But today, I'm truly glad to be in America's home office.
And to talk about the precious inheritance of trees passed from
one generation to another. //
We see it in the great ebonies of India, and towering
Sequoias of California -- the lush rainforests of South America,
and the evergreens of the Alps. Their very presence demands that
we renew and restore the natural beauty of our land. For not
only do trees enhance our atmosphere -- providing oxygen and
absorbing carbon dioxide. A tree planted today by a grandfather
can enrich the lives of a grandson or -daughter yet unborn. //
Just think: On these grounds, stands a tree planted by
Thomas Jefferson -- 1808. And Nearby is where Woodrow Wilson's
family so loved bay trees that they often ate lunch in a
makeshift grove. // Not far from here is the little-leaf
linden planted in 1937 by Franklin Roosevelt and England's
2
visiting King George VI // And Next to the Oval Office -- there
you'll find an oak tree planted by, President Eisenhower. And
there's a swing on it most sometimes days filled by my granddaughter
Marsha Trees are truly an inheritance that links generations of
Americans. //
( ( Last summer a bad windstorm swept through Washington. And Then,
I thought of these trees -- and the link they provide. Truth is,
Barbara and I were a little worried about them -- John Quincy
Adams' elm, for instance, or Herbert Hoover's oak. Maybe it's
because I feel affinity: Some of them were a little long in the
tooth. // For instance, that magnolia over there was planted by
Andrew Jackson. // Thankfully, the trees here weren't damaged.
( ( But elsewhere in Washington, it was a different story.
And the next morning people were out surveying the damage.
Mourning the loss of a favorite oak or elm. Regarding it with
concern and affection -- as a family would a friend. )) //
can ?ne intinitic
Ask anyone that morning and they would tell you. Trees are
frazile, precious trey can be but Study fragile. - but they So in are the budget always I precious: submitted last for month their beauty the
deaing for we
to Congress, I asked for $175 million to plant 1 billion trees a
breathe
year. And today I'm asking Congress to approve another step to
protect the environment. We call it the National Tree Trust Act
of 1990. And Is will foster the partnership between the public
and private sectors to plant trees across America.
Our plan will create a private nonprofit Foundation to
receive a one-time grant to promote community tree planting and
cultivation projects. A Foundation to solicit, and oversee,
3
public contributions, And forge cooperation between individuals,
businesses, governments and community organizations. Most of
all, it will sound a nationwide call for each American to become
This
a volunteer. Increasing the beauty of trees that is
nice.
breathtaking. And the bounty of trees that is breathgiving. //
As you can imagine, the Foundation's funding won't come out
of the woodwork. // But from the Department of Agriculture, SO
ably led by Secretary Yeutter. // And It will work by using
State Forestry agencies and groups like the American Forestry
Association's Global Relief Campaign. Volunteers helping
thousands of new volunteers to learn not only how and where to
plant trees. But how to care for them -- why we need them -- and
how they help the environment. // Today, only one tree is being
planted for every four that die or are removed. Our Foundation
can help change that -- as one of a Thousand Points of Light,
creating a Billion Trees of Life. The result? We'll knock
Johnny Appleseed out of the Guinness Book of Records. //
The National Tree Trust Act of 1990 is a key part of our
national tree planting and forest improvement initiative, to be
administered by the Agriculture Department. And that initiative,
in turn, is crucial to my "America the Beautiful" program, which
I submitted to Congress last month.
I'm proud of "America the Beautiful." It will help maintain
and expand our parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and public
lands. For While it's not true that I'm going to build a tree
house out here, and call it 1600 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue. // It
4
is true: I love the outdoors. // And I love exploring it with
those who are the trustees of our future. //
( (Think of your sons or daughters -- they know what I mean.
Seeing the Grand Tetons through the eyes of a teenager. Or
a coral reet.
teaching youngsters about the mysteries of the ocean. It's at
times like these that we realize, more than ever, how our
children will inherit the earth. )) //
Nearly a century ago, perhaps America's greatest
conservationist put it best. For It was Teddy Roosevelt who
called our lands and wildlife "the property of unborn
generations." And He said this about America's sequoias and
redwoods: "They should be kept as we keep a great and beautiful
cathedral." //
Today, ours is the chance to keep that cathedral great and
beautiful. By planting not only sequoias and redwoods -- but
sassafras,
poplars and maples and cypress and elms. // And I can't think of
a better time to begin than this spring -- the 20th anniversary
of an event -- Earth Day -- Teddy Roosevelt would have loved.
Four weeks from now we'll celebrate it. But I thought we'd
get a head start this afternoon. So Barbara will shortly join me
to plant a Red Bud blossoming tree. // It seems small today.
But so -- years ago -- did the special tree just behind me. //
My kids were the age of some of you when it, too, was planted by
President Eisenhower. // And when you're my age, this tree can
be just as strong -- embody just as much history -- do just as
much to ensure the splendor of America.
5
Trees are an inheritance precious to America's cathedral of
the outdoors. % Let us plant them -- nurture them. So that
America will remain America the Beautiful for all the generations
to come. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
Now it is my pleasure to sign the transmittal to Congress of the
National Tree Trust Act of 1990.
# # #
INSERT
What we are doing today is planting the seeds of
environmental stewardship. That means not only planting trees
but other steps, just as vital. Clean air, for example. Our
clean air proposal promises relief from the smog, acid rain and
toxic pollution that harms trees and people. Once again, I call
on the Congress to pass that bill. We're working hard on energy
efficiency, and pollution prevention. Clean oceans. Global
cooperation. Just as a tree grows, with roots and branches
spreading, our efforts on all these issues will reach into the
future.
INSERTA
rem
We 're proposing, the Fundation all ligio soldmile 9 dols
10 lefs efoen
Emily Mead ? Ask curt
(Smith/Blessey)
1990 MAR 15 PM 5: 39
5:00 P.M.
March 15, 1990
TREE
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TREE TRUST ACT
SOUTH LAWN
X
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1990
Channen Deland.
Secretaries Lujan and Yeutter. Members of the Congress.
Distinguished guests. Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the
White House. And to an event which celebrates how trees can
preserve and protect our great outdoors.
((You know, I've been involved in planting so many trees
around the country, I may have to open a branch office. ))
36
But today, I'm truly glad to be in America's home office.
And to talk about the precious inheritance of trees passed from
one generation to another. //
We see it in the great ebonies of India, and towering
Sequoias of California -- the lush rainforests of South America,
and the evergreens of the Alps. Their very presence demands that
we renew and restore the natural beauty of our land. For not
only do trees enhance our atmosphere -- providing oxygen and
absorbing carbon dioxide. A tree planted today by a grandfather
can enrich the lives of a grandson or -daughter yet unborn. //
Just think: On these grounds, stands a tree planted by
Thomas Jefferson -- 1808. And nearby is where Woodrow Wilson's
family so loved bay trees that they often ate lunch in a
makeshift grove. // Not far from here is the little-leaf
E0:3d 91 MAR 06
linden planted in 1937 by Franklin Roosevelt and England's
2
visiting King George VI // And next to the Oval Office -- there
you'll find an oak tree planted by President Eisenhower. And
there's a swing on it -- most days filled by my granddaughter
she
Marsha. Trees are truly an inheritance that links generations of
Americans. //
(( Last summer a bad windstorm swept through Washington. And
I thought of these trees -- and the link they provide. Truth is,
Barbara and I were a little worried about them -- John Quincy
Adams' elm, for instance, or Herbert Hoover's oak. Maybe it's
because I feel affinity: Some of them were a little long in the
tooth. // For instance, that magnolia over there was planted by
Andrew Jackson. // Thankfully, the trees here weren't damaged.
( (But elsewhere in Washington, it was a different story.
And the next morning people were out surveying the damage.
Mourning the loss of a favorite oak or elm. Regarding it with
concern and affection -- as a family would a friend. )) //
Ask anyone that morning, and they would tell you: Trees are
precious -- but fragile. So in the budget I submitted last month
to Congress, I asked for $175 million to plant 1 billion trees a
year. And today I'm asking Congress to approve another step to
protect the environment. We call it the National Tree Trust Act
of 1990. And it will foster the partnership between the public
and private sectors to plant trees across America.
Our plan will create a private nonprofit Foundation to
receive a one-time grant to promote community tree planting and
cultivation projects. A Foundation to solicit, and oversee,
P
public contributions. And forge cooperation between individuals,
businesses, governments and community organizations.
Most
of
This
is
not
the
Lawy it will sound a nationwide call for each American to become
"
And most plant the trees that clean our Air, prevent erosion, consume
mos
wiputa
a volunteer. Increasing the beauty of trees that is Carbon dioxide,
and purify ow water.
cusm
breathtaking. And the bounty of trees that is breathgiving.
//
plan
hees
As you can imagine, the Foundation's funding won't come out
In addition to its #35 million in Federal seed money, we
of the woodwork. // But from the Department of Agriculture, SO
hope to raise as much as half-a-billia dollars.)
ably led by Secretary Yeutter. / And it will work by using
private tree planting ngonza
State Forestry agencies and groups like the American Forestry
Association's Global Relief Campaign. Volunteers helping
thousands of new volunteers to learn not only how and where to
plant trees. But how to care for them -- why we need them -- and
how they help the environment. // Today, only one city tree is being
planted for every four that die or are removed. Our Foundation
can help change that -- as one of a Thousand Points of Light, Mentian
By planting trees in all fifty State,
creating a Billion Trees of Life. The result? We'll 11 knock
ree planting
Johnny Appleseed out of the Guinness Book of Records. //
mall 50
shates,
The National Tree Trust Act of 1990 is a key part of our
national tree planting and forest improvement initiative, to be
administered by the Agriculture Department. And that initiative,
The
in turn, is crucial to my "America the Beautiful" program, which
7
dis
sides
has
ban
I submitted to Congress last month
no submiss
in
I'm proud of "America the Beautiful." It will help maintain
Amenca
and expand our parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and public
Beautiful
lands. For while it's not true that I'm going to build a tree
house out here, and call it 1600 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue. // It
announced in James in my State of the
Union Address.
4
is true: I love the outdoors. // And I love exploring it with
those who are the trustees of our future. //
( (Think of your sons or daughters -- they know what I mean.
Seeing the Grand Tetons through the eyes of a teenager. Or
teaching youngsters about the mysteries of the ocean. It's at
times like these that we realize, more than ever, how our
children will inherit the earth. )) //
Nearly a century ago, perhaps America's greatest
conservationist put it best. For it was Teddy Roosevelt who
called our lands and wildlife "the property of unborn
generations." And he said this about America's sequoias and
redwoods: "They should be kept as we keep a great and beautiful
cathedral." //
Today, ours is the chance to keep that cathedral great and
beautiful. By planting not only sequoias and redwoods -- but
poplars and maples and cyprus and elms. // And I can't think of
a better time to begin than this spring -- the 20th anniversary
of an event -- Earth Day -- Teddy Roosevelt would have loved.
Four weeks from now we'll celebrate it. But I thought we'd
Billing please states.
Mrs.
get a head start this afternoon. So Barbara will shortly join me
Bush
is
$ 14 plant a Red Bud blossoming tree. // It seems small today.
official
planterd
But so -- years ago -- did the special tree just behind me.
//
tree.
"He"
My kids were the age of some of you when it, too, was planted by
will/join
President Eisenhower. // And when you're my age, this tree can
her.
be just as strong -- embody just as much history -- do just as
much to ensure the splendor of America.
it will A leasure to shortly join
Barbara as she
5
Trees are an inheritance precious to America's cathedral of
the outdoors. % So let us plant them -- nurture them. So that
America will remain America the Beautiful for all the generations
to come. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. And
now it is my pleasure to sign the transmittal to Congress of the
National Tree Trust Act of 1990.
#
#
#
Document No. 123312
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
03/15/90
2:00 p.m. Friday 03/16
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TREE TRUST ACT
(03/15 5:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE X .2230coming
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
W.B.
PORTER X. 2998 Emily
DARMAN x3060 LATE
ROGICH X. 2421 outof town
BATES Late HW
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTONX. 6407
WINSTON
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
DELAND
GRAY X. 2632 coming
PETERSMEYER X6266
CKErvin
HAGIN
FIRESTONE
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 03/16, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
61 8v 91 MAR 06
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
and most of all, plant the trees that clean our air, prevent
evosion, consume carbon dioxide and purify our water.
from private sources
3
public contributions, And forge cooperation between individuals,
businesses, governments and community organizations. Most of
all it will sound a nationwide call for each American to become
For the environment 1.00 List
a volunteer
Increasing the beauty of trees that is
breathtaking. And the bounty of trees that is breathgiving. //
As you can imagine, the Foundation's funding won't come out
import,
of the woodwork. // But from the Department of Agriculture, so
ably led by Secretary Yeutter. // And it will work by using
State Forestry agencies and groups like the American Forestry
eaf
Association's Global Relief Campaign. Volunteers helping
thousands of new volunteers to learn not only how and where to
plant trees. But how to care for them -- why we need them -- and
how they help the environment. // Today, only one tree is being
planted for every four that die or are removed. Our Foundation
our Foundation will be
can help change that
as one of a Thousand Points of Light,
By planting trees in all fifty sta tes,
creating a Billion Trees of Life. The result? We'll knock
Johnny Appleseed out of the Guinness Book of Records. //
The National Tree Trust Act of 1990 is a key part of our
national tree planting and forest improvement initiative, to be
administered by the Agriculture Department. And that initiative,
in turn, is crucial to my "America the Beautiful" program, which
amounced in my State of the union address.
I submitted to Congress last month.
under suretary hugons
leadership)
I'm proud of "America the Beautiful."
It will help maintain
and expand our parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and public
lands. For while it's not true that I'm going to build a tree
house out here, and call it 1600 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue. // It
2.port
Thisprogram involves both rural areas as well as local
tree planting programs in our cities.
4
is true: I love the outdoors. // And I love exploring it with
those who are the trustees of our future. //
( (Think of your sons or daughters -- they know what I mean.
Seeing the Grand Tetons through the eyes of a teenager. Or
teaching youngsters about the mysteries of the ocean. It's at
times like these that we realize, more than ever, how our
children will inherit the earth. )) // msert,
Nearly a century ago, perhaps America's greatest
Teddy Roosevelt, when he
conservationist put it best. For it was Teddy Roosevelt who
called our lands and wildlife "the property of unborn
generations." And he said this about America's sequoias and
redwoods: They should be kept just as we keep a great and beautiful
cathedral." //
Today, ours is the chance to keep that cathedral great and
$
beautiful. By planting not only sequoias and redwoods -- but
cypress
disney
poplars and maples and cyprus and elms. // And I can't think of
a better time to begin than this spring -- the 20th anniversary
of an event -- Earth Day -- Teddy Roosevelt would have loved.
Four weeks from now we'll celebrate it. But I thought we'd
it with I'm pleased to be able to join
get a head start this afternoon. So Barbara will shortly join me
in
a
as
she
Basbara
in a few minutes.
to plants a Red Bud blossoming tree // It seems small today.
beside
But so -- years ago -- did the special tree just behind me. //
My kids were the age of some of you when it, too, was planted by
President Eisenhower. // And when you're my age, this tree can
be just as strong -- embody just as much history -- do just as
much to ensure the splendor of America.
5
Trees are an inheritance precious to America's cathedral of
the outdoors. % So let us plant them -- nurture them. So that
America will remain America the Beautiful for all the generations
to come. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. And
now it is my pleasure to sign the transmittal to Congress of the
National Tree Trust Act of 1990.
# # #
(Smith/Blessey)
5:00 P.M.
March 16, 1990
TREE
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TREE TRUST ACT
SOUTH LAWN
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1990
Secretaries Lujan and Yeutter. Administrator Reilly.
Chairman Deland. Senators Leahy and Lugar. Congressmen de la
Garza and Madigan. Distinguished guests. Ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to the White House. And to an event which celebrates how
trees can preserve and protect our great outdoors.
( (You know, I've been involved in planting so many trees
around the country, I may have to open a branch office. )) //
But today, I'm truly glad to be in America's home office.
And to talk about the precious inheritance of trees passed from
one generation to another. //
We see it in the great ebonies of India, and towering
Sequoias of California -- the lush rainforests of South America,
and the evergreens of the Alps. Their very presence demands that
we renew and restore the natural beauty of our land. // Trees
enhance our atmosphere -- providing oxygen and absorbing carbon
dioxide. A tree planted today can enrich the lives of
generations yet unborn. //
Just think: On these grounds, stands a tree planted by John
the spot where
Quincy Adams -- 1826. Nearby is where Woodrow Wilson's family so
loved bay trees that they often ate lunch in a makeshift grove.
// Not far from here is the little-leaf linden planted in 1937
2
by Franklin Roosevelt for Britain's visiting King George VI. //
Next to the Oval Office -- there you'll find an oak tree planted
by President Eisenhower. There's a swing on it -- many days
filled by my granddaughter Marshall. Trees are truly an
inheritance that links generations of Americans. //
( (Last summer a terrible windstorm swept through Washington.
around us
I remember thinking of these trees F- and the link they provide.
Truth is, Barbara and I were a little worried about them --
Grover Cleveland's Japanese spider leaf, for instance, or Herbert
an
Hoover's oak. Maybe it's because I feel affinity: Some of them
were a little long in the tooth. // For instance, that magnolia
over there was planted by Andrew Jackson. [NEXT TO SOUTH
PORTICO] // Thankfully, the trees here weren't damaged.
( (But elsewhere in Washington, it was a different story.
And the next morning people were out surveying the damage.
Mourning the loss of a favorite oak or elm. Regarding it with
concern and affection -- as a family would a friend. )) //
Trees can be fragile, they can be sturdy -- but they are
always precious. So in the budget I submitted in January to
Congress, I asked for $175 million to plant 1 billion trees a
year. Today I'm asking Congress to approve another step to
protect the environment. We call it the National Tree Trust Act
of 1990. It will foster the partnership between the public and
private sectors to plant trees across America.
Under our plan, we will designate a private nonprofit
Foundation to receive a one-time Federal grant to promote
3
community tree planting and cultivation projects. A Foundation
to solicit contributions from private sources, forging
cooperation between individuals, businesses, governments and
community organizations. It will sound a nationwide call for
each American to become a volunteer for the environment. And
most of all, plant the trees that clean our air, prevent erosion,
consume carbon dioxide, and purify our water. These steps can
preserve the heritage of trees: Their beauty that is
breathtaking -- and their bounty that is breathgiving. //
As you can imagine, the Foundation's funding won't come out
of the woodwork. // In addition to the $35 million in Federal
money we're proposing, the Foundation will begin to raise
millions of dollars more to help reforest America. // It
will
work by using State Forestry agencies and private tree planting
organizations. Volunteers helping thousands of new volunteers to
learn not only how and where to plant trees. But how to care for
them -- why we need them -- and how they help the environment. //
Our Foundation will be one of a Thousand Points of Light,
creating Ten Billion Trees of Life. By planting trees in all
fifty States, we'll knock Johnny Appleseed out of the Guinness
Book of Records. //
The National Tree Trust Act of 1990 is a key part of our
national tree planting and forest improvement initiative, to be
administered by the Agriculture Department. This two-part
program involves both rural areas as well as local tree-planting
programs in our cities. And it, in turn, is crucial to my
4
"America the Beautiful" program, which I announced in my State of
the Union Address.
I'm proud of "America the Beautiful." It will help maintain
and expand our parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and public
lands. While it's not true that I'm going to build a tree house
out here, and call it 1600 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue. // It is
true: I love the outdoors. // And I love exploring it with
those who are the trustees of our future. //
( (Think of your sons or daughters -- they know what I mean.
Seeing the Grand Tetons through the eyes of a teenager. Or
teaching youngsters about the mysteries of the ocean. It's at
times like these that we realize, more than ever, how our
children will inherit the earth.) ) //
What we are doing today is planting the seeds of
environmental stewardship. That means not only planting trees
but other steps, just as vital. Clean air, for example. Our
clean air proposal promises relief from the smog, acid rain, and
toxic pollution that harm trees and people. Once again, I call
on the Congress to pass that bill. We're also working hard on
energy efficiency, and pollution prevention. Clean oceans.
Global cooperation. Just as a tree grows, with roots and
branches spreading, our efforts on all these issues will reach
into the future.
Nearly a century ago, perhaps America's greatest
conservationist, Teddy Roosevelt, put it best when he called our
lands and wildlife "the property of unborn generations." And he
5
said this about America's sequoias and redwoods: they "should be
kept just as we keep a great and beautiful cathedral." //
Today, ours is the chance to keep that cathedral great and
beautiful. By planting not only sequoias and redwoods -- but
sassafrars.
poplars and maples and cypress and dogwoods. // And I can't
think of a better time to begin than this Spring -- the 20th
anniversary of an event -- Earth Day -- Teddy Roosevelt would
have loved.
Four weeks from now we'll celebrate it. But I thought we'd
get a head start this afternoon. So I'm pleased to be able to
this
join Barbara as she plants an Eastern Red Bud blossoming tree in
a few minutes. // It seems small today. But so -- years ago -
- did the special tree beside me. // My kids were the age of
some of you when it, too, was planted by President Eisenhower. //
Barbans
And when you're my age, this tree can be just as strong -- embody
just as much history -- do just as much to ensure the splendor of
America.
Trees are an inheritance precious to America's cathedral of
the outdoors. // Let us plant them -- nurture them. So that
America will remain America the Beautiful for all the generations
to come. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. Now
it is my pleasure to sign the transmittal to Congress of the
National Tree Trust Act of 1990.
# # #
250 people
20:kits in Lniform buy sconts etc.
Staffed
20 h.s. kids
Converrationists
20 Staff of CEQ
(Smith/Blessey)
5:00 P.M.
1990 MAR i5 PM 5: 39
March 15, 1990
TREE
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: TREE TRUST ACT
SOUTH LAWN
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1990
Chrmn Delond
Secretaries Lujan and Yeutter/ Members of the Congress.
Chandra
Distinguished guests. Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the
White House. And to an event which celebrates how trees can
preserve and protect our great outdoors.
((You know, I've been involved in planting SO many trees
around the country, I may have to open a branch office. )) //
But today, I'm truly glad to be in America's home office.
And to talk about the precious inheritance of trees passed from
one generation to another. //
We see it in the great ebonies of India, and towering
Diet.
Sequoias of California -- the lush rainforests of South America,
and the evergreens of the Alps. Their very presence demands that
we renew and restore the natural beauty of our land. For not
only do trees enhance our atmosphere providing oxygen and
991 Brdget
p.12 absorbing carbon dioxide. A tree planted today by a grandfather
can enrich the lives of a grandson or -daughter yet unborn.
//
Tree Map
Just think: On these grounds, stands a tree planted by
hills
Think
Thomas Jefferson -- 1808. And nearby is where Woodrow Wilson'
family so loved bay trees that they often ate lunch in a
planting
mands
makeshift grove.
// Not far from here is the little-leaf
Tre Mop
linder planted in 1937 by Franklin Roosevelt and England's
Planted in the
Planting
2
visiting King George VI // And next to the Oval Office -- there
you'll find an oak tree planted by President Eisenhower. And
there's a swing on it -- most days filled by my granddaughter
Marsha! Trees are truly an inheritance that links generations of
Americans. //
( (Last summer a bad windstorm swept through Washington. And
I thought of these trees -- and the link they provide. Truth is,
Tree Mop
Barbara and I were a little worried about them -- John Quincy
Adams' elm, for instance, or Herbert Hoover's oak. Maybe it's
+
+
because I feel affinity: Some of them were a little long in the
tooth. // For instance, that magnolia over there was planted by
X[Next to South Portico
Andrew Jackson. // Thankfully, the trees here weren't damaged.
( (But elsewhere in Washington, it was a different story.
And the next morning people were out surveying the damage.
Mourning the loss of a favorite oak or elm, Regarding it with
concern and affection -- as a family would a friend. )) //
Ask anyone that morning, and they would tell you: Trees are
precious -- but fragile. So in the budget I submitted last Jonuary month
in
to Congress, I asked for $175 million to plant 1 billion trees a
OWO
year. And today I'm asking Congress to approve another step to
protect the environment. We call it the National Tree Trust Act
of 1990. And it will foster the partnership between the public
Plan
and private sectors to plant trees across America.
Our plan will create a private nonprofit Foundation to
receive a one-time grant to promote community tree planting and
cultivation projects. A Foundation to solicit, and oversee,
3
public contributions. And forge cooperation between individuals,
businesses, governments and community organizations. Most of
all, it will sound a nationwide call for each American to become
a volunteer. Increasing the beauty of trees that is
breathtaking. And the bounty of trees that is breathgiving. //
As you can imagine, the Foundation's funding won't come out
of the woodwork. // But from the Department of Agriculture, so
ably led by Secretary Yeutter. // And it will work by using
State Forestry agencies and groups like the American Forestry
Shereb
Association's Global Relief Campaign. Volunteers helping
thoúsands of new volunteers to learn not only how and where to
plant trees. But how to care for them -- why we need them and
One recent JL urvey to that Tn Masy American
how they help the environment. // Today / only one tree is being
Cities
+
planted for every four that die or are removed. Our Foundation
can help change that -- as one of a Thousand Points of Light,
creating a Billion Trees of Life. The result? We'll knock
Johnny Appleseed out of the Guinness Book of Records.
//
Shout
The National Tree Trust Act of 1990 is a key part of our
national tree planting and forest improvement initiative, to be
administered by the Agriculture Department. And that initiative,
in turn, is crucial to my "America the Beautiful" program, which
I submitted to Congress last month.
inJury
I'm proud of "America the Beautiful." It will help maintain
and expand our parks, wildlife refuges, forests, and public
lands. For while it's not true that I'm going to build a tree
house out here, and call it 1600 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue. // It
4
is true: I love the outdoors. // And I love exploring it with
those who are the trustees of our future. //
( (Think of your sons or daughters -- they know what I mean.
Seeing the Grand Tetons through the eyes of a teenager. Or
teaching youngsters about the mysteries of the ocean. It's at
times like these that we realize, more than ever, how our
children will inherit the earth.) //
Nearly a century ago, perhaps America's greatest
X,
conservationist put it best. For it was Teddy Roosevelt who
called our lands and wildlife "the property of unborn
p.611
generations." And he said this about America's sequoias and
redwoods: "They should be kept as we keep a great and beautiful
cathedral." //
Today, ours is the chance to keep that cathedral great and
beautiful. By planting not only sequoias and redwoods -- but
poplars and maples and cyprus and elms. // And I can't think of
a better time to begin than this spring -- the 20th anniversary
of an event -- Earth Day -- Teddy Roosevelt would have loved.
Rehed
Four weeks from now we'll celebrate it. But I thought we'd
get a head Erotern start this afternoon. So Barbara will shortly join me Barbon
I
X
X
to plant a Red Bud blossoming tree. // It seems small today.
+
But so -- years ago -- did the special tree just behind beside me. //
My
kids were the age of some of you when it, too, was planted by
x6406
President Eisenhower. // And when you're my age, this tree can
be just as strong -- embody just as much history -- do just as
much to ensure the splendor of America.
5
Trees are an inheritance precious to America's cathedral of
the outdoors. // So let us plant them -- nurture them. So that
America will remain America the Beautiful for all the generations
to come. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. And
now it is my pleasure to sign the transmittal to Congress of the
National Tree Trust Act of 1990.
# # #
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
DRAFT
Today I am pleased to transmit a legislative proposal
entitled the "National Tree Trust Act of 1990." This proposal is
a key part of my America the Beautiful initiative, and it would
enhance the growing partnership between the public and private
sectors to plant trees across America.
President Theodore Roosevelt began this century by directing
the Nation's attention to the protection of valuable public
lands -- America's treasure trove of parks, wildlife refuges,
forests, and rangelands. As the end of the century approaches,
it is appropriate that this final decade be one in which
conservation, enhancement, and protection of our irreplaceable
national assets rise to the forefront of national concerns. With
this as our goal, my FY 1991 Budget proposes a new initiative --
"America the Beautiful." Our initiative reflects my support for
appropriate expansion and proper maintenance of the Nation's
parks, refuges, forests, and public lands. It is also based on
my determination to involve all Americans in strengthening the
Nation's natural resources heritage. Finally, this initiative
expresses my firm commitment to providing responsible stewardship
of the country's heritage for the benefit of generations to come.
My America the Beautiful initiative includes three
components. First, we propose to expand Federal recreational
land acquisition, which involves activities of the Departments of
the Interior and Agriculture. Second, the Department of the
Interior is undertaking an effort -- "Legacy "99" -- to enhance
DRAFT
resource protection and recreation. Third, we propose a national
tree planting and forest improvement initiative, to be
administered by the Department of Agriculture. These components
will largely be implemented under existing authorities.
The proposal I am transmitting to Congress today authorizes
Presidential designation of a private nonprofit Foundation to
receive a one-time grant for the purpose of promoting community
tree planting and cultivation projects. It also authorizes
appropriations to the Secretary of Agriculture for a grant to
permit the Foundation to begin its important work. The
Foundation will promote public awareness and a spirit of
volunteerism, solicit private sector contributions, and oversee
the use of these contributions to encourage tree planting and
cultivation projects throughout the United States.
The Foundation will help forge cooperation between
individuals, businesses, governments, and community
organizations, and provide financial assistance to grassroots
volunteers to plant trees. It will help draw national attention
to the need for increased planting of trees in our communities,
where, on average, only one tree is now being planted for every
four that die or are removed. It is a program that will reach
every State, if not each and every community. All of our
citizens will be encouraged to participate in this program.
Trees are one of our most valuable resources. They
contribute to the environmental, economic, and social well-being
of this country. They enhance biodiversity, wildlife, air and
water quality, and recreational opportunities. Trees improve
-2-
UK
landscape esthetics and property values, reduce soil erosion, and
provide many valuable wood products. They also contribute to
energy conservation through the shading and cooling of buildings
and by serving as windbreaks.
Enactment of this proposal will permit us to harness the
efforts of individuals and organizations to undertake the
nationwide planting and cultivation of invaluable trees. The
prompt passage of this proposal by Congress will demonstrate our
shared commitment to preserving one of our most valuable natural
resources, our precious heritage of trees. Let us ensure that
our descendants will be able to share our pride in referring to
this land as America the Beautiful.
-3-
To authorize the President to designate a private nonprofit
Foundation as eligible to receive funds for the purpose of
promoting community tree planting and cultivation projects.
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the "National Tree Trust Act of
1990".
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that --
(1) trees provide beauty and are an important part of
America's heritage;
(2) trees capture and safely store greenhouse gases,
and each additional tree can reduce the possibility of
global warming;
(3) the shading, wind-blocking, and evaporation
provided by trees, especially in urban areas, can
significantly reduce energy use;
(4) trees planted adjacent to croplands filter run off
and prevent erosion that threaten water quality, fish, and
wildlife; and
(5) community service and service to others is an
integral part of the American tradition.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The intent of this Act is to provide for a grant to a
private nonprofit Foundation to be used for the following
purposes --
(1) to promote public awareness, education, and a
spirit of volunteerism in support of community tree planting
and cultivation projects nationwide;
(2) to solicit private sector contributions through the
mobilization of individuals, businesses, governments and
community organizations with the goal of increasing the
number of trees planted in communities and urban
environments;
(3) to accept and administer private gifts and make
grants, including matching grants to encourage local
participation, for the planting and cultivating of trees;
and
DRAFT
(4) to ensure that our descendants will be able to
share their ancestors' pride when referring to their land as
America the Beautiful.
SEC. 4. AUTHORITY.
(a) The President is authorized to designate a private
nonprofit organization, which for purposes of this Act shall be
referred to as the Foundation, as eligible to receive funds
pursuant to section 6(a), upon determining that such organization
can, consistent with its charter, carry out the purposes stated
in section 3, and that the officers of such organization have the
experience and expertise necessary to direct the activities of
the organization.
(b) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to make the
Foundation an agency or instrumentality of the United States
Government, or to make officers, employees, or members of the
Board of directors of the Foundation officers or employees of the
United States.
SEC. 5. FUNDING.
In fiscal year 1991, the Secretary of Agriculture is
authorized to make a grant, from funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 8 of this Act, of not to exceed
$35,000,000 to the Foundation designated pursuant to section 4.
SEC. 6. GRANT.
(a) Funds made available pursuant to section 5 shall be
granted to the Foundation by the Department of Agriculture --
(1) to enable the Foundation to carry out the purposes
specified in section 3; and
(2) for the administrative expenses of the Foundation.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
Foundation may hold grant funds contributed pursuant to
subsection (a) of this section in interest-bearing accounts,
prior to the disbursement of such funds for purposes specified in
section 3, and may retain for such program purposes any interest
earned on such deposits.
SEC. 7. ELIGIBILITY OF THE FOUNDATION FOR A GRANT.
(a) A grant may be made to the Foundation under this Act
only if the Foundation agrees to comply with the requirements
specified in this Act.
(b) The Foundation may use funds provided by this Act only
for programs and projects which are consistent with the purposes
specified in section 3.
-2-
DRAFT
(c) Officers and employees of the Foundation may not receive
any salary or other compensation for services rendered to the
Foundation from any source other than the Foundation.
(d) The Foundation shall not issue any shares of stock or
declare or pay any dividends.
(e) No part of the funds of the Foundation shall inure to
the benefit of any board member, officer, or employee of the
Foundation, except as salary or reasonable compensation for
services or expenses. Compensation for board members shall be
limited to reimbursement for reasonable costs of travel and
expenses. No director, officer, or employee of the Foundation
shall participate, directly or indirectly, in the consideration
or determination of any question before the Foundation affecting
his or her financial interests or the interests of any
corporation, partnership, entity, or organization in which he or
she is an officer, director, or trustee, or in which he or she
has any direct or indirect financial interest.
(f) The Foundation shall not engage in lobbying or
propaganda for the purpose of influencing legislation and shall
not participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf
of any candidate for public office.
(g) For the fiscal year in which the Foundation receives the
grant awarded under section 6(a), and for the succeeding five
fiscal years, the accounts of the Foundation shall be audited
annually in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards
by independent certified public accountants or independent
licensed public accountants certified or licensed by a regulatory
authority of a State or other political subdivision of the United
States. The report of each such independent audit shall be
included in the annual report required by subsection (j) of this
section.
(h) The financial transactions undertaken pursuant to this
Act by the Foundation may be audited by any agency designated by
the President for the fiscal year in which the Foundation
receives the grant awarded under section 6 (a) and for the five
succeeding fiscal years.
(1) The Foundation shall ensure --
(1) that each recipient of assistance provided
through the Foundation under this Act keeps, for five
years after the receipt of such assistance, separate
accounts with respect to such assistance and such
records as may be reasonably necessary to disclose
fully the amount and the disposition by such recipient
of the proceeds of such assistance, the total cost of
the project or undertaking in connection with which
such assistance is given or used, the amount and nature
-3-
DRAFT
of that portion of the cost of the project or
undertaking supplied by other sources, and such other
records as will facilitate an effective audit; and
(2) that the Foundation, the agency designated by
the President pursuant to subsection (h) of this
section, or any of the Foundation's duly authorized
representatives shall have access for the purpose of
audit and examination to any books, documents, papers,
and records of the recipient that are pertinent to
assistance provided through the Foundation under this
Act.
(j) Not later than three months after the conclusion of each
fiscal year, the Foundation shall publish an annual report for
the preceding fiscal year. The report shall include a
comprehensive and detailed report of the Foundation's operation,
activities, financial condition, and accomplishments under this
Act. The Foundation's obligation to publish annual reports
pursuant to this subsection shall terminate after publication of
the report incorporating the findings of the final audit required
by subsection (g) of this section.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 1991,
$35,000,000 for a one-time grant from the Secretary of
Agriculture to the Foundation designated pursuant to section
4(a).
-4-
DRAFT
Section-by-Section Analysis
"National Tree Trust Act of 1990"
Section 1 provides that the Act may be cited as the "National
Tree Trust Act of 1990."
Section 2 sets forth five congressional findings. Four of these
findings are related to the environmental and social value of
trees, including adding beauty, reducing the possibility of
global warming, reducing energy use, and preventing erosion. The
fifth finding emphasizes community service as an integral part of
the American tradition.
Section 3 outlines the purposes of the Act. The intent is to
provide a grant to a private nonprofit Foundation to be used to
(1) promote public awareness and volunteerism for community tree
planting and cultivation nationwide, (2) solicit private
contributions with the goal of increasing tree planting in
communities and urban environments, (3) accept and administer
gifts and make grants to encourage local participation in the
planting and cultivation of trees, and (4) ensure that our
descendants will be able to share the pride of their ancestors
when referring to their land as America the Beautiful.
Section 4 authorizes the President to designate a private
nonprofit organization, referred to as the "Foundation, to carry
out the purposes of the Act. The Foundation will not be an
agency or instrumentality of the United States. Officers,
employees, or members of the board of directors of the Foundation
will not be officers or employees of the United States.
Section 5 authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to make a grant
of up to $35 million to the Foundation during fiscal year 1991.
The grant will be funded from appropriations authorized in
section 8 of the Act.
Section 6 requires the Foundation to use the grant from the
Department of Agriculture to carry out the purposes specified in
section 3 and for administrative expenses of the Foundation.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Foundation is
authorized to hold grant funds in interest-bearing accounts until
they are needed. Interest earned on such deposits may be
retained by the Foundation and used for the purposes specified in
section 3.
Section 7 directs that the Foundation must agree to comply with
the requirements of the Act before a grant may be made to the
Foundation. The Foundation must use funds provided by the Act
only for the purposes specified in section 3. Officers and
employees may not receive compensation for services rendered to
the Foundation from any source other than the Foundation. The
Foundation shall not issue shares of stock or declare or pay any
dividends. The Foundation is prohibited from lobbying for the
DRAFT
purpose of influencing legislation and from intervening in any
political campaign. Accounts of the Foundation will be audited
for the fiscal year in which the grant is received under section
6 and for each of the succeeding five fiscal years. The results
of the audit will be included in each of six required annual
reports that shall include a comprehensive and detailed statement
of the Foundation's operation, activities, and financial
condition. The Foundation shall ensure that those who receive
assistance from the Foundation under the Act keep such records as
may be reasonably necessary to facilitate the annual audits.
Section 8 authorizes the appropriation of $35 million for fiscal
year 1991 to be used for a one-time grant from the Secretary of
Agriculture to the Foundation.
-2-
FACT SHEET
DRAFT
President Bush's Proposed
National Tree Trust Act
Today, President Bush transmitted to Congress the National
Tree Trust Act of 1990, a key part of his America the Beautiful
initiative. This proposal will be the catalyst to forge new
partnerships between individuals, business, governments, and
community organizations with the goal of planting trees across
America. It authorizes:
Presidential designation of a new private nonprofit
Foundation to receive Federal funds through a one-time
grant for the purpose of promoting community tree planting
projects; and
the appropriation of funds to the Secretary of Agriculture
for such a grant.
It is anticipated that the Foundation will:
o promote public awareness and a spirit of volunteerism;
o solicit private sector contributions; and
o oversee the use of these contributions to encourage tree
planting projects.
The Foundation will help draw national attention to the need
for increased planting of trees in our communities, where, on the
average, only one tree is now being planted for every four that
die or are removed. It is a program that will reach every State,
if not each and every community, by working in partnership with
existing national and community organizations, businesses, State
forestry agencies, and youth groups.
The President encourages all citizens to express their
personal commitment to their communities and to the environment
by participating in this program.
The National Tree Trust is a fitting complement to the
National Tree Planting and Forest Improvement component of the
President's America the Beautiful initiative. The FY 1991 Budget
includes the America the Beautiful initiative to address the
protection, conservation, and enhancement of America's natural
resources. The initiative includes three components involving
the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture. These
components are (1) expanded Federal recreational land
acquisition, which involves both departments; (2) an Interior
Department resource protection and recreation enhancement effort,
called "Legacy "99"; and (3) a National Tree Planting and Forest
Improvement Program, to be administered by Agriculture.
DRAFT
The National Tree Planting and Forest Improvement Program
includes $175 million in fiscal year 1991 to pursue the goal of
planting a billion trees a year on private lands. This program
includes two basic components to be coordinated by Agriculture, a
rural component to address reforestation of private,
non-industrial lands and a Community Trees component:
o Rural Areas. The FY 1991 Budget provides $110 million
to Agriculture for cost-sharing and technical assistance
with private landowners to plant, improve, and maintain
trees on suitable lands. The program will be implemented
through existing departmental delivery mechanisms and
through State forestry agencies.
Community Trees. The 1991 Budget also provides $65
million to provide leadership, coordination, and technical
assistance to support tree planting and care in community
and urban environments. This program will rely on the
U.S. Forest Service's existing technical assistance
delivery system which operates through State foresters and
other cooperating parties.
Both components will be carried out under existing
authorities. The funds proposed for the community tree planting
program include $35 million for the one-time grant in fiscal year
1991 to the Foundation designated by the President.
Enactment of the President's "National Tree Trust Act of
1990" will permit us to harness the efforts of individuals and
organizations to undertake the nationwide planting and
cultivation of our Nation's precious trees. Thus, the President
hopes we can ensure that our descendents will be able to share
our pride in referring to this land as America the Beautiful.
-2-
Ret
F204-
W554
V.I
WH
The
PRESIDENT'S
HOUSE
A History
by
William Seale
II
White House Historical Association
with the cooperation of the National Geographic Society
Washington, D.C.
and Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York
4
6-
Chen sin.
Mastall
lands.
FDR-plaint
scing.
will
166
8
Jellesm
V
37
END OF THE OLD ORDER
that anyone, much less an experienced politician, could have denied the
presence of political parties.
Relatively secluded from the public, Adams was an observer of the
political brawling rather than a participant. He reserved the hours not
claimed by the requirements of office for reading and writing. He was a
quiet and serious man who had been in public service since his boyhood.
His father had wanted to establish him in political life, so while home
had always been Quincy, Massachusetts, he had seldom lived there. He
observed with satisfaction at the end of his first year as President that his
life was "more regular than it has perhaps been at any other period." One
has the impression that there was little private amusement in the Adams
White House. Mrs. Adams, though a social creature, brooded behind the
scenes, often troubled by anxieties. Nevertheless she strictly adhered to
her duties of courtesy, for Mrs. Monroe's neglect of them had brought
unhappy results.
Adams's day began while it was still dark. First, he took a long walk
alone; then, on his return to the White House, he stood by himself in the
East Room and watched the day break through the great east window. In
the winter he built his own fire in his study upstairs and sat beside it
reading first from the Bible or from a volume of Bible commentary, then
official letters and papers. During the warm months he varied his exercise
by swimming in the Potomac, usually alone.
Sometimes on his forays he was accompanied by his White House
steward, Antoine Michel Giusta, called Antoine Michel, who was a
favorite companion in the out-of-doors. Their paths had crossed in Bel-
gium in 1814; Adams had hired Giusta, a deserter from Napoleon's army,
as his valet. In London, while Adams was minister to Britain, Giusta had
married Mrs. Adams's maid. Returning to America with their employers
in 1817, the Giustas had run the Adamses' households since. The Presi-
dent had given them the titles steward and housekeeper, which offices
they performed with excellence.⁸
Planting
Where the White House was concerned, Adams did little to the
building itself, but he left his mark on the grounds. Horticulture was a
special interest; wherever life had taken him he had tilled and planted.
At home in Massachusetts and at the house he had occupied in Washing-
ton, he had laid out gardens with flower beds and fruit trees. On the
south grounds of the White House still stands an elm he planted as a
seedling. While in the White House, he acquired popular books on
END OF THE OLD ORDER
James Monroe and John Quincy Adams
167
olitician, could have denied the
gardening, in particular John Claudius Loudon's An Encyclopedia of Gar-
dening (1827), which illustrated garden plans and ornaments as well as
, Adams was an observer of the
kinds of plants. He had for some time collected more specialized works
ant. He reserved the hours not
on trees, flowers, and vegetables. Not long after he became President,
r reading and writing. He was a
large purchases of plants began at the White House. Under Adams's
ublic service since his boyhood.
patronage, gardening began in earnest and it would continue through a
in political life, so while home
distinguished history.
, he had seldom lived there. He
Before Adams the President's Park had not been as well planned and
is first year as President that his
maintained as many of the small farms one passed in the neighborhood of
; been at any other period." One
the federal city. Some work, however, had been undertaken by President
rivate amusement in the Adams
Monroe. In November or December 1817 he had employed Charles
tial creature, brooded behind the
Bizet, giving him the title "Gardener to the President of the U. States."
ertheless she strictly adhered to
The full scope of Bizet's work is vague, but he seems to have maintained a
e's neglect of them had brought
vegetable garden within the White House fence and supervised a drawn-
out process of grading and tree planting on the north, across Pennsylva-
I dark. First, he took a long walk
nia Avenue. There is no evidence that Bizet grew flowers or ornamental
House, he stood by himself in the
plants for Monroe. 10
rough the great east window. In
Visitors to the White House during the Monroe era described a
study upstairs and sat beside it
barren ground. Broken ashlar blocks and ruined Ionic pilaster caps lay
lume of Bible commentary, then
scattered about in the mud. Very few trees had survived from Jefferson's
rm months he varied his exercise
mass plantings, most apparently trampled during the rebuilding. Since
alone.
his time the White House has remained fenced away from the rest of the
companied by his White House
square. Monroe had not liked the way the fence blocked the view of the
:d Antoine Michel, who was a
house from the common, except at the gate. He ordered the stone wall
Their paths had crossed in Bel-
cut down to parapet height on the north and topped with an iron railing
a deserter from Napoleon's army,
of tall spears. Iron gates were installed on heavy stone piers in 1820. On
IS minister to Britain, Giusta had
the south the wall was no problem because the house was amply elevated
to America with their employers
and the ground sloped, so that the mansion stood well above the high
ses' households since. The Presi-
stone fence and could be seen from a distance. 11
and housekeeper, which offices
When Monroe employed Charles Bulfinch in 1818 to complete the
Capitol, he sought the Boston architect's advice on the White House
grounds. Bulfinch produced drawings, now lost, for laying out, grading,
and ornamenting the entire presidential enclave. At that time numerous
g
and detailed field notes were made of the common by the government's
cerned, Adams did little to the
surveyor. It can be assumed, although it is not absolute, that many of the
the grounds. Horticulture was a
improvements carried out in the landscape by Adams, and later by Jack-
1 him he had tilled and planted.
son, were at least inspired by Bulfinch, and that Bulfinch was in turn
use he had occupied in Washing-
strongly influenced by Jefferson's earlier plan. His idea seems to have
ver beds and fruit trees. On the
been to grade the common and plant it thickly with trees. 12
1 stands an elm he planted as a
Possibly as late as 1824, Pennsylvania Avenue at last entered the
he acquired popular books on
President's Park and passed in the front of the White House. Part of
168
END OF THE OLD ORDER
what had been the "ferry road" commonly traveled to Georgetown be-
came H Street, at the northern head of the square. Thus, in the years
following the Bulfinch proposals of 1818, the old common was framed by
streets. Private citizens began purchasing lots abutting the public square.
Hero of the Tripoli war, Commodore Stephen Decatur built, after de-
signs of Latrobe, the mansion still known as Decatur House. Saint John's
Episcopal Church, completed by Latrobe before the war of 1812, already
stood on the corner of 16th Street and the common. Lacking the present
portico and other later additions, it resembled a monumental gatepost.
Either James Monroe or John Quincy Adams named the former common
Lafayette Square during the hero's visit in 1824 and 1825. The name
stuck, and would one day be altered to Lafayette Park.
By the spring of John Quincy Adams's inauguration, the gardener
Bizet had completed only a small part of the work prescribed in the
Bulfinch plan. The voluminous field notes of F. C. de Krafft, the dis-
trict's surveyor, show that before any real gardening could be under-
taken, extensive grading had to be done, including the filling of gullies,
mud holes, and areas which would not drain. Cartmen began hauling
hundreds of loads of dirt to the President's Square beginning in 1818;
they were still at work in the autumn of 1824, paid by the load. Little, if
anything, had been done by 1825 toward planting the two gardens Bul-
finch had designed for the White House, although a number of shade
trees were set out. Boxes were built around them to protect against hogs
and other livestock that ran wild. 13
Spring was the time for planting and pruning along the Potomac. By
Adams's first summer, 1825, he seems to have become dissatisfied with
Charles Bizet. With the earth now largely prepared, perhaps he wanted a
more expert gardener. The Frenchman was discharged and replaced Au-
gust 1, 1825, by John Ousley, whom President Adams characterized in
his diary as a man of dedication and experience. Ousley was probably
English. He remained at the White House as head gardener for many
years, living with his family in the east wing, in an apartment built where
the earlier stable had been. Somehow he was repeatedly able to escape
the United States Census; little even of a statistical character can be
found out about him. 14
John Quincy Adams's White House garden was as nationalistic as
the government program he was laboring to implement. He made it into
a museum of American plants, particularly trees. Assisted by Ousley, he
rounded up seedlings by the hundred and set them out over the north and
south grounds, including walnut, persimmon, willow, tulip, oak, chest-
nut, catalpa, and honey locust. The area designated by Jefferson to the
END OF THE OLD ORDER
James Monroe and John Quincy Adams
169
ommonly traveled to Georgetown be-
right of the entrance gate on the south became the main ornamental
ead of the square. Thus, in the years
garden. Expanded to two acres, it was enclosed by a fence of parallel
1818, the old common was framed by
boards and equipped with a cistern to catch rainwater. To the well at the
hasing lots abutting the public square.
Treasury building an iron garden pump with nine "spout holes" was at-
dore Stephen Decatur built, after de-
tached, providing water for the President's horticultural endeavors. The
known as Decatur House. Saint John's
burned-out Treasury vault, built by Jefferson, became the toolhouse, its
atrobe before the war of 1812, already
stone walls and lunette windows attesting its former glory. 15
and the common. Lacking the present
The President was always searching for seeds, cuttings, and acorns
it resembled a monumental gatepost.
to pass to Ousley. Cold frames were built to the south and the north of
cy Adams named the former common
the two acres. Ousley maintained them, but the President enjoyed put-
visit in 1824 and 1825. The name
tering there early in the morning. In warm weather he tended the seed
ed to Lafayette Park.
beds and carefully observed the results of his experiments: "this morning,
Adams's inauguration, the gardener
after planting in my eastern seed-bed eighteen whole red-cherries and
part of the work prescribed in the
visiting the southern bed, where the casual poppies are now all (six) in
ld notes of F. C. de Krafft, the dis-
flower, the mustard and anthemis in full bloom, the althaeas still coming
any real gardening could be under-
up and the wild cherries apparently stationary, I remarked that the straw-
done, including the filling of gullies,
berries are ceasing, and the currants, red and black, becoming ripe."16
I
not drain. Cartmen began hauling
The garden seems to have yielded its first real bounty by the early
esident's Square beginning in 1818;
summer of 1827. Adams's diary is filled with bitterness over his political
n of 1824, paid by the load. Little, if
life, but when he writes of his garden it is always with buoyancy of spirit
oward planting the two gardens Bul-
and pride: "In this small garden of not less than two acres, he wrote that
House, although a number of shade
summer, "there are forest and fruit-trees, shrubs, hedges, esculent vege-
around them to protect against hogs
tables, kitchen and medicinal herbs, hot-house plants, flowers and weeds
to the amount, I conjecture, of at least one thousand.
: and pruning along the Potomac. By
The President's reveries in his diary seem as remote from the swift
ms to have become dissatisfied with
current of his times as perhaps Adams himself was in his garden, on his
rgely prepared, perhaps he wanted a
predawn walks, or watching daybreak through the windows of the vacant
an was discharged and replaced Au-
East Room. Thus it was not to be the Age of Adams. The sixth President
n President Adams characterized in
was in some respects but a foil to more significant players yet to cross the
d experience. Ousley was probably
White House stage. Adams's important role would be played elsewhere.
House as head gardener for many
it wing, in an apartment built where
Winter
W he was repeatedly able to escape
in of a statistical character can be
President Adams put his diary on the shelf at the White House in
August 1828 and did not take it down again until the first day of Decem-
ouse garden was as nationalistic as
ber. He set down no intimate record of his reactions to the stormy presi-
ring to implement. He made it into
dential campaign the Jacksonians waged and won against him. His let-
ularly trees. Assisted by Ousley, he
ters, more guarded than his diary, nevertheless show that the veteran
and set them out over the north and
politician was astonished at the counterfeit charges leveled against him.
simmon, willow, tulip, oak, chest-
Federal employees whom he had kindly allowed to keep their positions
area designated by Jefferson to the
regardless of their political leanings had been particularly determined to
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
203
called to a halt. But it was
the vegetables. The division of responsibility suggests a broadening of the
the lack of rain, that really
gardening program at the Jackson White House, a separation for the first
ne by the public buildings
time of ornamental and edible plantings. It may well also pin down the
fter the destruction of the
date when the old garden-which Jefferson had located on the south-
poorly did the new water
east-was redesigned and elaborated, and new ground was broken south-
missioner of public works,
west of the house for the kitchen garden.
ey to improving the water-
Most of the grading was completed in May. The driveway on the
[ Elgar wrote: "the destruc-
north was placed in its present path, laid over with gravel and edged with
er seemed to inculcate the
paved walks. It became a wide horseshoe, bordered by paved footways.
of the catastrophe with the
Within the north fence all the ironwork was painted black. The gate
ork on the grounds seemed
piers and all parapets were painted white, like the house. There was some
Ousley to arrive at a figure
further grading, because drainage had been a problem during the winter;
n the next year. 57
sections of the parapet were cut open as outlets for ditches into Pennsyl-
ouse that we know about for
vania Avenue. The ground was turned up and grass seed scattered. Pro-
Noland commissioned a plan
tective boxes were removed from Adams's trees on the north grounds, for
is was to run between the
now. The few that survived were of sufficient size to fend for themselves,
edge of the deep areaway-
even when sheep were turned in to crop the lawn.
wn that spread between the
The greatest advances were on the south side. By man, shovel, ox,
son unrolled this plan, took
and plow the surface was graded to seat the south portico on a carpet
land observed, that he had
lawn flanked by slopes that hid the littered east and west colonnades,
at Jackson wanted most was
where in the warm months many homely household tasks were per-
h fence built by Monroe. He
formed. The "circular road" was leveled and graveled, although no
ider apart-they must have
change seems to have been made in its path. The White House was not
a space. The commissioner
visible from the arched gate, but screened by trees as Jefferson had in-
d, even after the money ran
tended. Some of the trees had grown quite large. Beside the gate were
ay or "all the cattle of Wash-
two weeping willow trees which were in Jackson's day called "ancient,"
dating from "colonial times."59
house is not known. If it was
Because the flower garden on the east and the kitchen garden on the
in New York, it was someone
west were fenced, the south driveway was segregated into its own open
d what Hedl had put on the
grassy area apart from either of them. Jefferson's high wall, albeit crum-
heavy, made of wrought iron,
bling in places, was the barrier between this and what Fanny Kemble
Dom. It featured a row of bold
had called in 1833 "a desolate reach of uncultivated ground to the river."
ithin circles and running side
It was crossed in several spots by wooden stiles, which pedestrians could
ails. This long Grecian border
climb for an elevated look at the mansion. The popular pride of China,
arently underlining the White
or chinaberry, trees were planted there in the spring of 1834.60
:his line echoed the now per-
It may be that the celebrated Jackson magnolias, the mighty old
nia Avenue.
trees that gnarl up today as high as the house and shade the President's
ssibility of frost, in March of
bedroom windows, were planted near the west stairway to the south
d. Now there were two White
portico at about this time. No written record places these trees in Jack-
1 over entirely to ornamental
son's Presidency, but the legend began in the late 19th century. How-
Maher's, was engaged to tend
ever, a photograph taken of the south front in 1846 does not show them;
204
DEMOCRACY
surely they would have been sufficiently advanced from seedlings in
12 years to make their presence known. 61
The work done on the grounds in the spring and summer of 1834
was the most extensive landscaping yet. Jackson's personal interest is
difficult to gauge. He had once hired a gardener in Philadelphia for the
Hermitage, an Englishman, William Frost, and as a planter he was pro-
fessionally concerned with horticulture. An avid gardener, however, he
seems not to have been. Van Buren, Vice President in Jackson's second
term, was a gardening enthusiast, and in the early 1830s toured English
country houses and gardens, making extensive notes. King William IV
had shown him his garden and retreat at Windsor, saying he loved it far
more than he did the palace. Possibly Van Buren encouraged the work on
the White House grounds.
Various building projects were undertaken for the garden. Trellises,
benches, fences, a hothouse were built in the fall of 1834 by Bryan &
Wood, a local contracting firm specializing in garden construction. A
"watch box" was built for a sentry, unquestionably in reaction to the
attempt on Jackson's life made at the Capitol on January 30, 1835. The
watch box was also a reminder that the south grounds, and particularly
the flower garden at their eastern end, were for the exclusive use of the
President and his household. One reason very few descriptions of the
garden survive is that it was never open to public inspection. 62
The acquisition of plant material was large, and Jemmy Maher
seems to have acted on his own most of the time. His main sources were
nurseries in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. He also attended
estate sales when he learned that greenhouses were to be emptied and
plant materials sold. The bills that passed into the records of William
Noland's office provide a worthy, though general, overview of what
Andrew Jackson planted in the White House garden.
Few bills in 1834, 1835, and 1836 are for vegetable seeds or roots.
These were not difficult to find. Vegetable planting had been carried on
at the White House for many years, beginning with the first Adams, and
a part of the gardener's job was to assure a garden's progeny by taking
seeds each season to root for the next. Cold frames were built for rooting,
and glass bell jars were purchased in great number for the same purpose.
In the winter one can imagine some of the south windows filled, as in any
house of the day, with clay pots where seeds were rooting. At the White
House this was William Whelan's responsibility. He occupied a a room
in the west wing, where the stable had been, just adjacent to the vegeta-
ble garden which was his charge.
Flowers, shrubbery, and trees were personally selected by Maher
DEMOCRACY
Andrew Jackson
205
tly advanced from seedlings in
from the best nurseries in the United States, principal among which were
n.⁶¹
the firms of William Prince & Sons and Bloodgood & Company in Flush-
the spring and summer of 1834
ing, New York. These were also the largest nurseries in the nation. They
et. Jackson's personal interest is
were examples of how Jacksonian enterprise, coupled with the advances
gardener in Philadelphia for the
in transportation since the War of 1812, had changed American busi-
ost, and as a planter he was pro-
ness. Although both had begun as local merchants, they had expanded
An avid gardener, however, he
to become "national" businesses, with full catalogues supplying plant
ice President in Jackson's second
material to buyers as far away as Louisiana. Of the two, the Prince com-
n the early 1830s toured English
pany sold more to the White House. At the Prince company Maher had
tensive notes. King William IV
bought elm trees to replace Thomas Jefferson's short-lived Lombardy
it Windsor, saying he loved it far
poplars on Pennsylvania Avenue. In addition he ordered more trees for
an Buren encouraged the work on
the White House: sugar maples, elms, American sycamores, European
sycamores, red-twigged lindens, silver-leaf maples, oaks of all kinds, and
ertaken for the garden. Trellises,
the magnificent horse chestnuts, whose white, wisteria-like blossoms
: in the fall of 1834 by Bryan &
were for some years a Washington trademark. It was an age in which
lizing in garden construction. A
ornamental trees were beloved both for summer shade and as shields from
nquestionably in reaction to the
the sometimes bitter winds of winter.
Capitol on January 30, 1835. The
Although most of the grounds were planted heavily with trees,
e south grounds, and particularly
Maher's notes suggest that few were planted on the southeast, where the
were for the exclusive use of the
flower garden spread over some two acres within its board fence. Some
son very few descriptions of the
trees stood at the edges of the garden, but none in positions to impede
en to public inspection. 62
the southern sunshine. The open, level garden itself was crossed by grav-
1 was large, and Jemmy Maher
eled walks, which were flanked by grass borders. A daily duty of the
the time. His main sources were
gardener's assistants was to take the gravel rakes, made in Washington
nd New York. He also attended
especially for the purpose, and pull the gravel neatly to the center of
nhouses were to be emptied and
these walks. This process did improve the drainage, but, like plumping
ssed into the records of William
featherbeds to keep them mounded, it mainly testified to the ready avail-
ough general, overview of what
ability of low-cost manual labor.
House garden.
Some of the garden's numerous trellises were specified as being for
i are for vegetable seeds or roots.
roses. There was an arbor, the earliest mention of which is in an account
ible planting had been carried on
of Maher's in the spring of 1835 for "running vine trainers for Arbours."
;inning with the first Adams, and
The character of this arbor is not known, but the lone photograph of the
ure a garden's progeny by taking
old garden, taken in the late 1850s, shows a long, tunnel-like arbor of
Cold frames were built for rooting,
wood, painted white, and arched over a straight segment of graveled
eat number for the same purpose.
walk. Perhaps this was the same arbor of Jackson's time, or at least similar
he south windows filled, as in any
to it. Other means of training and supporting flowering shrubs and vines
seeds were rooting. At the White
were also used. Bryan & Wood made "2 Espalier Frames for Rose Bushes"
onsibility. He occupied a a room
in the spring of 1834 and supplied more the next year. 63
been, just adjacent to the vegeta-
Only spotty records remain of the actual species of the flowers and
shrubbery used in the garden. Altheas, single and double, were used in
re personally selected by Maher
great profusion, and had been fixtures in the garden since the days of
THRESHOLDS
Woodrow Wilson
777
ordered pleated white dimity
ceilings. Mrs. Wilson took such delight in this quaintness that she out-
of the state parlors. Thus she
lined them with wallpaper borders. The windows which faced the mas-
dent called them-if only for
sive stone balustrade outside were curtained in ruffled chintz. On the
west side several interconnecting rooms with one bath became known as
the tearing up in good spirits.
the Bachelors' Suite, presumably because visiting beaus of Margaret,
e to Washington, although he
Jessie, and Nell sometimes stayed there. The daughters, like nearly
nmer home in Cornish, New
everyone else who saw the new third floor, thought it the best part of the
y of a serious though well-fed
house, admiring the coziness of the guest rooms with their high-
home of the novelist Winston
windowed views of the city and the Virginia hills.
al mixture of professional and
The minor work on the state floor had been completed early in the
versations beneath the spread-
summer, leaving only one conspicuous change: The stuffed animal heads
ne sizzling summer weather in
in the State Dining Room had been removed. Though most of them had
his bedroom, dressing room,
in fact been bought from a New York decorator, not shot by Roosevelt,
e rest of the house, which was
they were beloved symbols of the former President. If their removal
seemed to express Wilson's dislike of Roosevelt, it was not deliberate;
building the third floor may
Mrs. Wilson banished them because she thought them gruesome. All
nt by Colonel William W.
were stored at the Smithsonian.¹⁴
nadge's contract for the deco-
The smaller dining room on the north side, used customarily for
contractors, Boyle-Robertson
daytime meals, was too dark to suit the Wilsons. As had Theodore
were not put under contract
Roosevelt after 1902, the Wilson family used the State Dining Room
ugust 19. Construction began
almost all the time, setting up a small table and chairs in its southwest
gs and curtains arrived from
corner, which had strong natural light, and which, when the windows
nt to storage. Demolition was
could be opened, was breezy. Dinner, served at 7 p.m., was black-tie, a
new construction had begun.
custom of the White House, not of the Wilsons. The family and guests
to find the second floor com-
were always expected to appear for dinner, but could eat other meals in
uest rooms well along. One of
their rooms. On lovely days in May and June or October, the Wilsons
the north portico, a dark and
often dined at noon on the west terrace, in a makeshift grove made by
ng shades of bright, clear yel-
clustering the tubbed bay trees that lined its parapets.
iste of J.A.M. Whistler, Mrs.
-to-wall carpeting of the bed-
Gardens for a Gardener
ving exposed a border of pol-
rk was now softened to ivory,
Perhaps the most significant changes made in the early months of
tel colors in paint and paper.
the Wilson administration were in the gardens. Like many creative peo-
e, with twin beds, sofa, and
ple, Mrs. Wilson loved gardening. Her gardens at Princeton had been
1 indoor garden," wrote Nell
much admired, in a town noted for its handsome gardens. The colonial
tween the bedroom and the
garden planted for Mrs. Roosevelt did not satisfy Mrs. Wilson's horticul-
erhaps with a "rail splitter"
tural urges. Laid out in parterres shaped like great four-petal flowers, the
and upholstery in the "double
colonial garden was more quaint than artistic, with its winding paths of
called the "Blue Mountain
grass, its crazy-quilt colors, and its white wooden settees. Mrs. Wilson's
originated.¹³
artistic eye longed for the geometrical clarity of the new formalism in
Id-shaped, some with slanted
landscape design.
752
SUMMER DAYS
with Warren Young's approval. The guests were placed according to
rank, with the highest ranking member nearest to the door the President
would enter. Butt stood at the door and, when the President appeared,
announced him in a loud voice. Taft then entered the room, with
Mrs. Taft a few steps behind. The presidential couple went to the guests,
one by one. When the last guest had been greeted, the butler appeared to
announce dinner. The President was at that point with his dinner part-
ner, the last woman he greeted. Butt escorted the male guest of honor to
Mrs. Taft, and the procession to the dining room began, with only serene
dinner music, no marches.³³
Gardens, Food, and Drink
The Tafts also made many small changes in the White House style
of entertaining. These Archie Butt duly noted in his scrapbooks labeled
"Social Functions." Food and drink were served at the large receptions;
only ice water had been available for more than 20 years. Now the table
in the State Dining Room was filled with cookies and cakes, fruits and
nuts, and a punch bowl. Punch was also available in the transverse hall
and in the East Room. It was usually nonalcoholic, in the interest of
keeping the crowds from lingering.
Entertaining under Taft was notable for its variety. In the beautiful
spring of 1909, Mrs. Taft gave wing to her love for the tropics by banking
the interior of the house with palms. For dinner parties and dances, she
opened the terraces to the east and west. The globes of the electric lamp
standards spaced along the balustrades were covered with red silk, and
glowed in the dark like strange bright cherries. The tubbed bay trees,
clipped in large balls and cones, were intermingled with potted palms
along the parapets of the terraces. After dinner, the guests wandered
along the red tile floors under the stars. For dances, the Marine Band
played on a platform at the north end of the East Room. The music could
be heard through the open windows on the east terrace, where those who
wished could dance outside.
Musicales, begun by the Roosevelts, were continued by the Tafts.
Their musicales were often smaller, making use of the Blue Room. A
handsome, cream-colored concert grand piano, which matched the
neo-Empire furnishings, was installed there, and from January until May
musicales were usually held twice a week. Mrs. Taft, who played the
piano herself, tended to prefer that instrument, with either strings or
a flute and frequently a female singer.
Mrs. Taft held her first garden party in early May 1909. This had
The White House
Gardens and Grounds
C
B
F
West Garden
N
(Rose Garden)
M
A
11
*
13
B
Key Plantings
A. Jackson Southern Magnolias
Magnolia grandiflora
B. J.F. Kennedy Saucer Magnolias
Magnolia soulangeana
C. Katherine Crabapples
Malus 'Katherine'
D. Littleaf Lindens
Tilia cordata
E. American Hollies
Ilex opaca
F. Washington Hawthorn
Crataegus phaenopyrum
G. Holly Osmanthus
Osmanthus ilicifolius
D
L
East Garden
H
(Jacqueline Kennedy)
K
G
E
Garden Ornaments
H. Pergola
1965
I.
Trellis and Window
1982
J.
Sculpture
Artist, Silvia Shaw Judson
1965
K. Pool
1965
L. Benches
Filmore Administration
1850
M. Furniture
Gift of Amelia Riggs
1973
N. Wood Bench
Gift of Mrs. Paul Mellon
1983
The East and West Gardens
Pennsylvania Avenue
0
0
0
X
on
¥
B
0
¥
0
X
X
Key
A
5
A
4
4
D
D
4
4
A
5
A
4
4
D
D
4
4
A
5
A
5
C
5
5
C
5
D
1
E
3
B
B
E
2
5
5
C
2
C
1
2 E
5
5
C
2
B
B
3
1
E
D
C
5
5
5
A
4
4
D
D
4
A
5
C
5
5
A
4
A
4
4
D
D
4
4
A
5
A
Spring
Herbs and Perennials
A. LAVENDER COTTON
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Gray-green
B. GARDEN THYME
Thymus vulgaris
Herb
C. CHIVES
Allium schoenoprasum
Herb
D. ROSEMARY
Rosemarinus officinalis
Herb
E. EVERGREEN CANDYTUFT
Iberis sempervirens
White
April
Seasonal Plantings
1. GRAPE HYACINTH
Muscari botryoides
Violet-blue
April-May
2. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Niphetos'
Yellow, white edges
May
3. MIXED TULIP GROUP A
DARWIN HYBRID
Tulipa 'Jewel of Spring'
Cream w/red edges
April
LILY-FLOWERING
Tulipa 'White Triumphator'
Pure white
April-May
COTTAGE
Tulipa 'Bond Street'
Lemon yellow
April-May
4. MIXED TULIP GROUP B
LILY-FLOWERING
Tulipa 'White Triumphator'
Pure white
April-May
PARROT
Tulipa 'Faraday'
Lt. salmon, green edges
May
DARWIN HYBRID
Tulipa 'Sweet Harmony'
Lemon yellow
May
5. PANSY
Viola tricolor hortensis 'Paydirt'
Yellow
April
East Garden
Pennsylvania Avenue
3
D
0
0
X
on
B
0
II
II
X
O
&
X
Key
A
2
A
2
2
C
D
2
D
2
2
A
2
A
2
2
D
2
D
2
3
2
A
2
D
3
3
C
A
3
E
2
B
B
E
2
2
2
C
2
C
2
O
2
2
E
2
2
C
2
C
B
B
2
1
1
E
1
1
D
A
2
C
A
2
D
2
2
D
2
2
A
2
A
C
2
2
D
2
D
D
2
2
A
2
A
Summer
Herbs and Perennials
A. LAVENDER COTTON
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Gray-green
B. GARDEN THYME
Thymus vulgaris
Herb
C. CHIVES
Allium schoenoprasum
Herb
D. ROSEMARY
Rosemarinus officinalis
Herb
E. EVERGREEN CANDYTUFT
Iberis sempervirens
White
April
Seasonal Plantings
1. DUSTY MILLER
Senecio leucostachys
White foliage
2. BLUE SALVIA
Salvia farinacea 'Victoria'
Violet-Blue
June-Aug.
3. CUSHION MUM
Chrysanthemum 'Freedom'
Yellow
Sept.-Oct.
4. TUBULAR PETAL MUM
Chrysanthemum 'Joanette'
White Fiji
Sept.-Oct.
5. GIANT HARVEST MUM
Chrysanthemum 'Pumpkin'
Orange
Sept.-Oct.
6. SPOON DAISY
Chrysanthemum 'Starlet'
Apricot
Sept.-Oct.
7. CUSHION MUM
Chrysanthemum 'White Patriot'
White
Sept.-Oct.
East Garden
The White H
my mort mm M
Commemorative Plantings
1. SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA (Magnolia grandiflora)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1942)
2. SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA (Magnolia grandiflora)
Warren G. Harding (1922, Replaced 1947)
3. THE JACQUELINE KENNEDY GARDEN
Lyndon B. Johnson (1965)
4. LITTLE-LEAF LINDENS (Tilia cordata) 2
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1937)
5. EASTERN WHITE PINE (Pinus strobus)
Gerald Ford (1977, Replanted 1983)
6. NORTHERN RED OAK (Quercus borealis)
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1959)
7. AMERICAN ELM (Ulmus americana)
John Q. Adams (1826)
8. THE MOUNDS
Thomas Jefferson (1808)
9. WHITE OAK (Quercus alba)
Herbert Hoover (1931)
10. JAPANESE SPIDERLEAF (Acer palmatum dissectum)
Jimmy Carter (1978)
11. JAPANESE SPIDERLEAF (Acer palmatum dissectum)
Grover Cleveland (1893)
12. CHILDREN's GARDEN
Lyndon B. Johnson
13. CEDAR OF LEBANON (Cedrus libani)
Jimmy Carter (1978)
14. GIANT SEQUOIA (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
Richard M. Nixon (1971)
15. WHITE OAK (Quercus alba)
Herbert Hoover (1931)
16. PIN OAK (Quercus palustris)
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1958)
17. WILLOW OAK (Quercus phellos)
Lyndon B. Johnson (1964)
18. SAUCER MAGNOLIA (Magnolia soulangiana) 4
John F. Kennedy (1962)
19. ROSE GARDEN
20. SOUTHERN MAGNOLIA (Magnolia grandiflora) 2
Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
21. AMERICAN ELM (Ulmus americana)
Gerald R. Ford (1975)
22. FERN-LEAF BEECH (Fagus sylvatica 'Asplenifolia')
Lyndon B. Johnson (1968)
23. FERN-LEAF BEECH (Fagus sylvatica 'Asplenifolia')
Richard M. Nixon (1972)
24. SUGAR MAPLE (Acer saccharum)
Ronald Reagan (1984)
25. WHITE SAUCER MAGNOLIA (Magnolia soulangiana alba)
Mrs. Reagan (1982)
26. WHITE SAUCER MAGNOLIA (Magnolia soulangiana alba)
Mrs. Reagan (1982)
27. DWARF BOXWOOD (Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa')
Harry S. Truman (1952)
28. RED MAPLE (Acer rubrum)
Jimmy Carter (1977)
29. WHITE OAK (Quercus alba)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1935)
30. SCARLET OAK (Quercus coccinea)
Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)
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Roses and Perennials
R1 TEA ROSE
Rosa hybrid tea 'Nancy Reagan'
Coral Pink
R2 ROSE
Rosa floribunda 'Pat Nixon'
Burgundy red
R3 ROSE
Rosa grandiflora 'White Lightning'
White
R4 SHRUB ROSE
Rosa hybrid 'Sea Foam'
White
A. CATNIP
Nepeta cataria
Lavender Blue
July-Aug.
B. PLANTAIN LILY
Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans'
White on 2' spikes
July-Aug.
C. LAVENDER COTTON
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Gray-green foliage
D. GARDEN PINKS
Dianthus plumarius 'Boutonniere'
White
July-Aug.
Spring
Spunor asn
moun
Fold Out
Herbs and Perennials
A. LAVENDER COTTON
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Gray-green
B. GARDEN THYME
Thymus vulgaris
Herb
C. CHIVES
Allium schoenoprasum
Herb
D. ROSEMARY
Rosemarinus officinalis
Herb
E. EVERGREEN CANDYTUFT
Iberis sempervirens
White
April
Seasonal Plantings
1. DUSTY MILLER
Senecio leucostachys
White foliage
2. FLOSS FLOWER
Ageratum petiolatum
Blue
June-Aug.
3. GARDEN GERANIUM
Pelargonium x hortorum 'Wendy Anne' Pink
June-Aug.
East Garden
Pennsylvania Avenue
a
B
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0
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B
0
I
0
X
X
Key
7
A
5
4
C
4
D
3
D
4
4
A
3
A
4
C
4
D
3
D
4
4
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7
5
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2
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3
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4
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3
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4
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4
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3
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4
4
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4
7
Fall
Seasonal Plantings
1. GRAPE HYACINTH
Muscari botryoides
Violet-Blue
April-May
2. FOSTERIANA TULIP
Tulipa fosteriana 'Purissima'
Pure White
Early April
3. FOSTERIANA TULIP
Tulipa fosteriana 'Red Emperor'
Flaming Red
Early April
4. DARWIN HYBRID TULIP
Tulipa 'Apeldoorn'
Cherry Red
April
5. DARWIN HYBRID TULIP
Tulipa 'Dover'
Red
April
6. DARWIN HYBRID TULIP
Tulipa 'Gudoshnik'
Yellow-Red
April
7. DARWIN HYBRID TULIP
Tulipa 'Golden Oxford'
Golden Yellow
April
8. DARWIN HYBRID TULIP
Tulipa 'Oxford'
Scarlet Red
April
9. DARWIN HYBRID TULIP
Tulipa 'Ivory Florendale'
Pure White
April
10. DARWIN HYBRID TULIP
Tulipa 'President Kennedy'
Deep Yellow
April
11. DARWIN HYBRID TULIP
Tulipa 'Jewel of Spring'
Cream w/red edges
April
12. GREIGII TULIP
Tulipa greigii 'Bokara'
Deep orange red
April-May
13. GREGII TULIP
Tulipa greigii 'Oriental Splendor'
Red, Yellow
April-May
14. LILY-FLOWERED TULIP
Tulipa 'Queen of Sheba'
Red w/gold margin
April-May
15. LILY-FLOWERED TULIP
Tulipa 'White Triumphator'
Pure white
April-May
16. COTTAGE TULIP
Tulipa 'Bond Street'
Lemon yellow-red
May
17. COTTAGE TULIP
Tulipa 'Ivory Glory'
White
May
18. COTTAGE TULIP
Tulipa 'Mrs J.T. Scheepers'
Yellow
May
19. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Aristocrat'
Dark violet
May
20. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Eclipse'
Red
May
21. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Florence Nightengale'
Vermilion Red
May
22. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Flying Dutchman'
Fire Engine Red
May
23. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Glacier'
White
May
24. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Golden Niphetos'
Creamy Yellow
May
25. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Niphetos'
Yellow, white edges
May
26. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Queen of the Bartigons'
Salmon-pink
May
27. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Sweet Harmony'
Lemon Yellow
May
28. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'White Jewel'
White
May
29. DARWIN TULIP
Tulipa 'Zwanenburg'
White and Black
May
30. PARROT TULIP
Tulipa 'Black Parrot'
Blue Black
May
31. PARROT TULIP
Tulipa 'Blue Parrot'
Dark Violet
May
32. PARROT TULIP
Tulipa 'Fantasy'
Pinkish-green
May
33. PARROT TULIP
Tulipa 'Orange Favorite'
Bright Orange
May
West Garden
Pennsylvania Avenue
E
D
0
0
X
¥
0
X
X
Key
R-2
1
B
5
5
5
5
1
6
B
6
6
B
6
C
4
C
4
4
C
C
C
4
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6
1
1
6
6
6
6
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3
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2
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7
7
7
7
7
7
Summer
Roses and Perennials
R1 TEA ROSE
Rosa hybrid tea 'Nancy Reagan'
Coral Pink
R2 ROSE
Rosa floribunda 'Pat Nixon'
Burgundy red
R3 ROSE
Rosa grandiflora 'White Lightning'
White
R4 SHRUB ROSE
Rosa hybrid 'Sea Foam'
White
A. CATNIP
Nepeta cataria
Lavender Blue
July-Aug.
B. PLANTAIN LILY
Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans'
White on 2' spikes
July-Aug.
C. LAVENDER COTTON
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Gray-green foliage
D. GARDEN PINKS
Dianthus plumarius 'Boutonniere'
White
July-Aug.
Seasonal Plantings
1. BLUE SALVIA
Salvia farinacea 'Blue Bedder'
Violet-Blue
June-Aug.
2. GARDEN GERANIUM
Pelargonium x hortorum 'Snow Mass'
White
3. GARDEN GERANIUM
June-Aug.
Pelargonium x hortorum 'Sincerety'
Red
June-Aug.
4. FANCY-LEAVED CALADIUM
Caladium x hortulanum 'Candidum'
White Leaf
June-Aug.
5. FANCY-LEAVED CALADIUM
Caladium x hortulanum 'Frieda Hemple'
Red Leaf
June-Aug.
6. IMPATIENS
Impatiens wallerana 'Super Elfin White'
June-Aug.
7. HELIOTROPE
Heliotropium arborescens
Purple
May-June
8. DUSTY MILLER
Senecio leucostachys
White foliage
July-Aug.
West Garden
Pennsylvania Avenue
B
0
0
X
B
0
X
X
Key
R-2
B
1
B
1
4
B
1
3
3
4
5
5
4
C
C
C
C
C
O
B
6
6
1
6
6
R-3
6
5
R
7
5
7
B
B
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5
7
7
5
R-3
5
R-3
8
R-4
R-4
8
5
R-3
D
5
8
R-1
8
2
A
A
R-4
5
D
A
D
SHALLA
6
6
6
6
6
6
Fall
Roses and Perennials
R1 TEA ROSE
Rosa hybrid tea 'Nancy Reagan'
Coral Pink
R2 ROSE
Rosa floribunda 'Pat Nixon'
Burgundy red
R3 ROSE
Rosa grandiflora 'White Lightning'
White
R4 SHRUB ROSE
Rosa hybrid 'Sea Foam'
White
A. CATNIP
Nepeta cataria
Lavender Blue
July-Aug.
B. PLANTAIN LILY
Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans'
White on 2' spikes
July-Aug.
C. LAVENDER COTTON
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Gray-green foliage
D. GARDEN PINKS
Dianthus plumarius 'Boutonniere'
White
July-Aug.
Seasonal Plantings
1. BLUE SALVIA
Salvia faranacea 'Blue Bedder'
Violet-Blue
June-Aug.
2. LADYS MANTLE
Alchemilla speciosa
Yellowish-green
June-Aug.
3. TALL BUTTON MUM
Chrysanthemum 'Bronze Dot'
Yellow w/red ctr.
Sept.-Oct.
4. GIANT HARVEST MUM
Chrysanthemum 'Indian Summer'
Red Bronze
Sept.-Oct.
5. TUBULAR PETAL MUM
Chrysanthemum 'Joanette'
White Fiji
Sept.-Oct.
6. CUSHION MUM
Chrysanthemum 'Penguin'
White
Sept.-Oct.
7. GIANT HARVEST MUM
Chrysanthemum 'Pumpkin'
Orange
Sept.-Oct.
8. CUSHION MUM
Chrysanthemum 'Rollcall'
Dark Bronze
Sept.-Oct.
West Garden
Few places provide such a sense of the continuity of American history as the grounds of the White House. All our Presidents
except George Washington have lived and worked on this knoll overlooking the Potomac. And it was Washington himself
who selected the site allowing for extensive grounds which would be landscaped as the "President's Park."
John Adams, the second President, moved into the mansion in the fall of 1800, describing the grounds as a barren expanse
strewn with building rubble and abandoned brick kilns. Thomas Jefferson first planned the landscape of the grounds when
he followed Adams to the White House in 1801. John Quincy Adams, inaugurated in 1825, took special interest in the
grounds. He employed a full-time gardener and developed extensive plantings, some of which he set out himself. A stately
American elm planted by him still flourishes in the south grounds, the oldest of some 25 commemorative trees planted
by Presidents throughout the past.
All of our Presidents and First Ladies have been, in a sense, avid gardeners. Each has made a mark on the grounds of
the White House. Jefferson installed the two mounds on the south as visual barriers to give privacy to the house; the
ancient magnolia trees to the left of the south front were brought in the 1830's from Andrew Jackson's beloved home in
Tennessee; Andrew Johnson built the first fountain on the south side in 1867 while his successor Ulysses Grant built
the first on the north in 1873.
A conservatory and greenhouses, begun in 1857, had expanded onto the south and west grounds by the late 19th century.
Providing flowers and plants for the mansion and a place of privacy for White House families, they were removed in 1902
to make way for the construction of the west wing offices.
Early in the 20th century, as the city of Washington grew closer to the venerable President's Park, the grounds took on
a more stately appearance with the introduction of numerous evergreen trees and shrubs to preserve the remote and pastoral
character the house had known since it was built. On the north was developed an open grove, largely of elm trees, shading
the lawn that stretches from Pennsylvania Avenue to the mansion, while on the south deep borders of trees were planted,
flanking the open carpet of lawn that slopes toward the Potomac River.
The spectacular view to the south was planned in 1935 by the Olmstead brothers at the request of Franklin D. Roosevelt
in anticipation of the building of the Jefferson Memorial. Numerous trees were removed from the end of the lawn to allow
for a full vista to the Memorial and the Virginia landscape beyond.
At the present time the White House grounds contain over 500 trees and some 4000 shrubs on approximately 18 acres.
It retains the lawn to the north, and the great open greensward to the south, with newer and more intimate gardens
of a formal character next to the house. To the east is the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden with topiary holly trees, seasonal
flowers and herbs, and a grape arbor. On the west between the mansion and the west wing is the celebrated Rose Garden,
now because of its ceremonial functions one of the most famous gardens in the world. Its plan is based on a traditional
18th century American garden.
For all their timelessness, the White House gardens receive the constant use and enjoyment of the occupants of the house
and the staff, as well as many Americans who visit in person and those who view the grounds through television coverage
of various events. For the reception of foreign dignitaries by the President, the south grounds of the White House become
a colorful stage. The President and visitor exchange greetings before a large crowd of guests and a military honor guard.
On Easter Monday, the President and First Lady open the gates to throngs of children, who come to the traditional Easter
Egg Roll. This originally started at the Capitol, and was moved to the White House by President Hayes in 1879. The
presence of children in the ongoing story of the White House is also commemorated today in the Children's Garden, created
in 1969, which is located in the groves on the west side of the south lawn. It contains impressions in bronze of the hands
and feet of children and grandchildren who have lived in the White House in past years.
Gardens are living things. They do not survive without care and constant improvement. The White House grounds are
not restorations and recreations of something lost, but themselves have lived in a sense always new for the better part
of 200 years. In this respect they are among the most unique monuments to the American past.