On the recordOctober 21, 2015
Today I rise to recognize National Forest Products Week and to acknowledge what an important role our forests play in all of our daily lives. The Second District of Florida is home to hundreds of thousands of acres of public and private forest lands. The Apalachicola National Forest alone is nearly 1,000 square miles. Just last week, I participated in a work day with the Nature Conservancy in the Apalachicola Forest to learn how responsible management can boost the economic and environmental value of forestland. I am proud that north Florida forests make such an important contribution to our country's economy and our environment. We depend on wood for the structure of our homes, the paper we write on, and a million different things in between, but most significantly for the oxygen we breathe. ____________________
