PRESIDENT PROCLAIMS 

 FOREST PROTECTION WEEK 



THE week of May 22 has been designated in a procla- 

 mation by President Harding as ' rorest protection 

 week" during whicb governors or tbe various States are 

 asked to arrange educational and instructive exercises to 

 place before tbe people the need for preventing unnecessary 

 waste by forest fires. The proclamation follows: 



w Wbereas tbe destruction by forest fires in tbe United 

 States involves an annual loss of approximately $20,000,- 

 000 and tbe devastation of approximately 12,500,000 acres 

 of timber land and otner natural resources, and 



"^iVnereas, wben tbe present deplorably large area of 

 nonproductive land is being greatly increased by 33,000 

 or more forest fires eacb year, and 



' \Vnereas tbe menace of a future timber sbortage threat- 

 ens to become a present economic fact seriously affecting 

 our social and industrial welfare, and 



k W bereas a large percentage of tbe forest fires causing 

 tbe annual waste of natural resources may be prevented 

 by increasing care and vigilance on tbe part of citizens; 



1 berefore, I, \Varren G. Harding, President of tbe 

 United States, do urge upon tbe governors of tbe various 

 States to designate and set apart tbe week of May 22-28, 

 1921, as forest protection week and to request all citizens 

 of their States to plan for tbat week sucb educational and 

 instructive exercises as sball bring before tbe people tbe 

 serious and unbappy effects of tbe present unnecessary 

 waste by forest fires, and tbe need of tbeir individual 

 ana collective efforts in conserving tbe natural resources 

 of America." 



