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Presidential statement on signing S. 3091 - National Forest Management Act of 1976 [Signing Statements and Announcements]
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7346400
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Presidential statement on signing S. 3091 - National Forest Management Act of 1976 [Signing Statements and Announcements]
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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U.S. Senate. (03/04/1789 - )
Legislation
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7346400
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22
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1976-10-22
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10
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1976
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Digitized from Box 33 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 22, 1976
Office of the White House Press Secretary
THE WHITE HOUSE
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Today I am pleased to sign S. 3091 -- the National
Forest Management Act of 1976 -- an act of great significance
to the conservation and management of this Nation's natural
resources.
This Act is another important milestone in the evolution
of forest policy and conservation law governing our steward-
ship of a major part of this Nation's great natural heritage,
the National Forest System.
In America's first century, our forests and their vast
resources seemed to our forefathers inexhaustible. By the
late nineteenth century, however, the spirit of expansion
and development had led to much abuse of our forest lands.
Fires frequently raged out of control over millions of acres,
devastating floods were increasing, and our wildlife was being
depleted.
With wisdom and timeliness, this Nation began to establish
Federal forest reserves to protect our forest lands and to
guarantee that future generations would enjoy their benefits.
Although the first Federal forester had been hired just a
hundred years ago in 1876, it was the establishment of the
forest reserves in 1891 which sped the development and practice
of professional, scientific forestry on Federal lands.
Today the National Forest System comprises 187 million
acres of forest and range lands in 44 States and Puerto Rico,
and provides millions of Americans outstanding outdoor recreation
and wilderness experiences, as well as many wood products,
substantial mineral and energy resources, clean and plentiful
water, forage for domestic livestock, and homes for many species
of fish, wildlife, and plants.
From its inception, the National Forest System was
administered not only to protect forest lands, but also to
restore their productivity. After an early period of basic
custodial protection, a philosophy evolved to manage the
National Forests in such a way that they provided a variety
of uses and benefits for present and future generations.
This concept of managing lands on a multiple-use, sustained-
yield basis, which was confirmed by law in 1960, has always
been a challenge. It has led to continuous discussion and
debate over the proper mix of resource uses.
In the past decade, the use and management of the timber
resources of the National Forests culiminated in a court suit
challenging the manner in which National Forest timber is
harvested. The decision in the Monongahela National Forest
case had the initial effect of severely reducing timber
sales on all the National Forests in South Carolina, North
Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, causing hardships for
the forest products industry and its many employees. Applied
nationwide, the court's decision would severely restrict the
timber supply from all the National Forests, led to the Act
before me today.
more
2
While the National Forest Management Act of 1976 evolved
from a timber management controversy, the Act goes far beyond
a simple remedy of the court's decision. Basically, the Act
expands and refines the forest resource assessment and planning
requirements of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources
Planning Act of 1974 -- one of the first Acts I signed upon
taking office. This Act reaffirms and further defines the
concept of multiple-use, sustained-yield management and
outlines policies and procedures for land management planning
in the National Forest System. Emphasis throughout the Act
is on a balanced consideration of all resources in the land
management process.
Of equal importance, this Act guarantees the public full
opportunity to participate in National Forest land and resource
planning. Finally, it recognizes the importance of scientific
research and cooperation with State and local governments and
private landowners in achieving wise use and management of
the Nation's forest resources.
In my consideration of this legislation, a statement
made in 1907 by Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief Forester of
the Forest Service, was brought to my attention. Mr. Pinchot
said,
"There are many great interests on the National Forests
which sometimes conflict a little. They must all be
fit into one another SO that the machine runs smoothly
as a whole. It is often necessary for one man to give
way a little here, another a little there. But, by
giving way a little at the present, they both profit
by it a great deal in the end. "
This National Forest Management Act of 1976 is the product
of diverse and often conflicting interests. Officials of the
Department of Agriculture and its Forest Service, conservation
organizations, the timber industry, labor, professional foresters,
and members of Congress have worked for months to develop sound
legislation. The Nation has profited as a result of their
efforts. On balance, I find this Act to be a reasonable
compromise of the many competing interests which affect the
National Forest System.
Therefore, in this Bicentennial year of our Nation, and
in this Centennial Year of Federal Forestry, I am very pleased
to sign into law S. 3091, the National Forest Management Act
of 1976.
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