2019 Senate Joint Resolution 32
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: proclaiming May 2019 as Paper and Forestry Products Month in Wisconsin.
Whereas, trees and Wisconsin's sustainable well-managed forests, both private and public, are the backbone supporting Wisconsin's valued way of life and the basis for the social, economic, and ecological well-being of Wisconsinites and the forest products industry; and
Whereas, Wisconsin's lumber and wood products industry predates the state and papermaking began in 1848, three months before Wisconsin became a state, and paper manufacturing has been a cornerstone of the state's economy for more than 165 years, leading the nation in paper manufacturing for more than 60 years; and
Whereas, the logging, papermaking, and printing industries significantly contribute to Wisconsin's economic health and well-being by employing more than 106,000 women and men in family-supporting jobs whose annual income exceeds $6.4 billion; and
Whereas, the paper and forest products industries contribute an estimated $238 million in state and local taxes; and
Whereas, Wisconsin produces a greater diversity of paper and wood products than any other state in the Union; and
Whereas, as 2019 has been declared by Governor Tony Evers as “The Year of Clean Drinking Water” and Speaker Robin Vos has established a “Water Quality Task Force,” Approximately two-thirds of the nation's freshwater resources originate on forested lands, both public and private. Some 180 million people in over 68,000 communities rely on these forested lands to capture and filter their drinking water; and
Whereas, thanks to sustainable forestry practices, Wisconsin forests are growing one and a half times more timber than is being harvested each year and there are more trees in forests throughout the United States than there were 100 years ago; and
Whereas, the paper, pulp, forestry, and printing industries are sustainable, environmentally-conscious and are a major driver of Wisconsin's economy; and
Whereas, Wisconsin's nearly 17 million acres of forest lands and its millions of urban trees significantly enhance the quality of life in our great state, contribute to water quality, support and enhance soil quality, provide habitat and sustenance for terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna, and offer four-season recreational and aesthetic opportunities to residents and visitors of all ages; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin State Legislature proclaim May 2019 as Paper and Forestry Products Month in Wisconsin and commend this observance to all citizens; and, be it further
Resolved, That the legislature calls upon our citizens to learn more about the important role the paper, forestry, and printing product sectors play in our economy and the environment; and, be it further
Resolved, That the senate chief clerk shall provide a copy of this joint resolution to the Council on Forestry, the Wisconsin Paper Discovery Center, the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education at the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the Wisconsin River Papermaking Museum, the Wisconsin Paper Council, Centergy, the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Trees for Tomorrow, Quad/Graphics, WMC, the Wood Industry Collaborative, the Wisconsin County Forests Association, Wisconsin Woodland Owners, Wisconsin River Papermaking Museum, Federal Sustainable Forestry Committee, and the Lake States Lumber Association.
