WHEREAS, Virginia’s 16 million acres of forested land provide raw, sustainable, and renewable materials to the state's forest industry, as well as environmental benefits by cleaning the air and purifying the water, and diverse recreational opportunities crucial for the residents of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, forestry in Virginia is the third largest private sector industry and makes essential contributions to the Commonwealth’s overall economy by generating $23.6 billion in goods and services annually and employing approximately 108,500 people in approximately 1,500 facilities; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s sustainable forest resources are critical to the Commonwealth’s environmental integrity, economic viability, and quality of life in both rural and urban areas; and

WHEREAS, privately-owned forests provide products for diverse end markets and critical sources of revenue that enable 400,000 landowners to protect and manage their forests; and

WHEREAS, these privately-owned and managed forests provide habitat, carbon sequestration, renewable energy, in addition to countless every-day products that influence our quality of life; and

WHEREAS, diverse and robust forest products markets are critical to provide financial incentives for private forest landowners to manage and protect their forests; and

WHEREAS, utilizing forest products results in more, healthier and safer forests; and

WHEREAS, forest products markets have contributed to an increase in forest carbon stocks by 32% from 1990 to 2019; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s forests face increasing challenges and threats today; and

WHEREAS, the health, resilience and sustainability of our forests is even more dependent upon having diverse forest products markets; and

WHEREAS, this week, the Commonwealth of Virginia encourages all residents to recognize and celebrate our forests and the renewable resources they provide as an essential part of our state’s history, economy, and culture;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize October 20-26, 2024, as FOREST PRODUCTS WEEK in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.