433 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Photo by R. E. Gooding. 

 SECOND YEAR SEED BEDS PATNODE NURSERY, LAKE CLKAR JUNCTION. 

 (There are in this nursery of approximately two acres over five million seedling trees.) 



lowed with several intermissions up to 

 the present time, and in 1911 the total 

 State holdings comprised 1,643,000 

 acres, of which all except 113,000 acres 

 in the Catskills, is located on the 

 Adirondack plateau. The total area 

 within the park limits comprises about 

 3,400,000 acres, so that the alienated 

 lands still comprise about one-half of 

 the total area. 



The acquirement by a wealthy State 

 of such an enormous area of forested 

 and potential forest land is a mark of 

 a distinct progress. The reverse side 

 of the picture is that enthusiastic but 

 ill-advised reformers, with all good in- 

 tention, succeeded in 1893 in securing 

 the passage of a constitutional clause 

 preventing the cutting of trees, dead or 

 alive, on State lands and declaring that 

 they shall be kept forever, as "wild 

 lands." This clause, which has never 

 been repealed, prevents putting these 

 State lands to their best use. Forestry 

 cannot be practiced without cutting 

 trees, and this is particularly true in the 

 Adirondacks. where overmature stands 

 of hardwoods need to be removed in 

 order to establish a more valuable 

 growth of coniferous species. If the 

 State foresters were permitted to han- 



dle these Adirondack lands according 

 to forestry principles, they would be 

 able not only to greatly improve the 

 forest conditions, but secure an income 

 for the purchase of more lands or with 

 which to reimburse the State treasury 

 for expenditures already made. 



During the last ten years this con- 

 stitutional amendment has been set 

 aside by the Commission to the extent 

 of planting up some of the burned-over 

 areas, while more recently permission 

 has been granted by the Legislature to 

 remove trees from burned areas in or- 

 der to reduce the fire danger. Under 

 the existing conditions, it follows, 

 therefore, that the work of the State 

 at present is mainly along the lines of 

 reforestation and fire protection, and 

 since this work is being carried on in 

 a very extensive way and very effi- 

 ciently, it constitutes a matter of more 

 than usual interest. 



It may be added that the initial con- 

 ception of planting Adirondack lands 

 came from Dr. B. E. Fernow, while he 

 was Dean of the New York State Col- 

 lege of Forestry, and the first forest 

 nurseries in the State were started by 

 him in connection with the College dem- 

 onstration forest. 



