Tl)e Forest Preserve. 



IN addition to other duties and responsibilities " the care, custody, control and 

 superintendence of the Forest Preserve " now devolves by law on this depart- 

 ment. The members of the Commission have accordinyl}- devoted to this 

 branch of their work the attention constantly required in the management of this 

 property, the largest and most valuable belonging to the Commonwealth. They fully 



appreciate, in addition to its intrinsic 

 value, the great economic conditions de- 

 pendent on the proper management of 

 this tract. 



Acting under direction of members of 

 the Board designated as the " Committee 

 on Forestry," the various officials of the 

 department have labored zealously and 

 industriously to protect the forest areas 

 belonging to the State. Their efforts have 

 been rewarded by satisfactory results. 

 There has been a marked decrease in 

 forest fires ; and of the fires that occurred 

 in the Adirondack and Catskill regions, less 

 than five per cent, of the burned or dam- 

 aged area belonged to the State. 



But our forestry law directs that this 

 Commission shall "have charge" of various 

 " public interests," among which it espe- 

 cially includes "forest fires in every part 

 of the State." We have accordingly en- 

 deavored to impress on the minds of the 

 fire-wardens and town supervisors the necessity of protecting from fire all wood- 

 lands, private as well as public, and have called' their attention to the general 

 interests that require the preservation of forest areas irrespecti\'e of any question of 

 ownership. 



Ten years' experience in the matter has demonstrated that the present law relating 



to the protection of our woodlands from fire is a practical one. \\'e have reason to 



believe that the widespread and disastrous fires which threatened the existence of our 



forests at one time will not recur. We expect that small burnings on private lands 



125 



IN THE FOREST. 



