PRINTER'S NO. 760
No. 56 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY BARD, HERSHEY, PHILLIPS, GEIST, HERMAN, ARGALL,
BATTISTO, BUNT, CAPPABIANCA, CIVERA, CORRIGAN, DAILEY,
DeLUCA, DONATUCCI, HALUSKA, HARHAI, HARHART, HENNESSEY, HESS,
HORSEY, LAUGHLIN, LYNCH, McNAUGHTON, MELIO, S. MILLER, ORIE,
PIPPY, RAMOS, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAYLOR, SCHRODER, SEYFERT,
SHANER, B. SMITH, STABACK, SURRA, TRELLO, WALKO, WILLIAMS AND
ZUG, MARCH 8, 1999
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
MARCH 8, 1999
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing and congratulating the Department of Conservation
2 and Natural Resources and others for their work in certifying
3 the Commonwealth's 2.1 million acres of State forest land.
4 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has one of the largest public forests
5 in the eastern United States; and
6 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has an ongoing commitment to its
7 forests and has used sustainable practices in managing its
8 forests; and
9 WHEREAS, State-owned forests in this Commonwealth have been
10 independently evaluated by Scientific Certification Systems; and
11 WHEREAS, Certification is a voluntary process in which an
12 independent third party confirms that a product has been
13 produced in accordance with specified environmental and social
14 standards; and
15 WHEREAS, The evaluation of the State forests has shown that
1 the forests are being well managed for timber sustainability,
2 ecosystem maintenance and financial and socioeconomic
3 considerations; and
4 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's entire 2.1 million acres of State
5 forest land have now been certified as "well-managed" by
6 Scientific Certification Systems; and
7 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania now has the largest certified forest in
8 the United States; and
9 WHEREAS, The certification process was completed at no cost
10 to the Commonwealth due to the generosity of the Heinz
11 Endowments and the Pinchot Institute for Conservation; therefore
12 be it
13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commend and
14 express its appreciation to the Department of Conservation and
15 Natural Resources and the philanthropic organizations for their
16 commitment to Pennsylvania's forest resources; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize that
18 the certification process has made Pennsylvania a national
19 leader in sustainable forest management.
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