THE NEW YORK FOREST FIRE LAW. 



It seems, on account of the disastrous forest fires which have 

 recently occurred in the Northeastern United States, quite apro- 

 pos to describe the fire law of the State of New York. 



" Self preservation " is said to be " the first law of nature," and 

 forest protection should be the first consideration in forestry. 

 Fire is by far the greatest of all the destructive agents of the for- 

 est. A well-known writer uses the expression • " It takes thirty 

 years to grow a tree and tliirty seconds to cut it down and destroy 

 it." Fire will destroy the thirty-year-old tree equally as quick 

 and usually at the same time destroy the soil. 



The law of the State of New York gives to the Forest, Fi.sh 

 and Game Commission the "'care, control and supervision of the 

 Forest Preserve," '•' the enforcement of the laws relating to forest 

 fires, and the authority to " make rules for the prevention of for- 

 est fires and cause the same to be posted in all proper places 

 throughout the state." 



The laws relating to forest fires consist of nine sections in 

 Chapter 20, Laws of 1900, Article XIII. The3' may be summed 

 up as follows : Section 220, Powers of Commission. Section 224 a, 

 Authorizing the office of Chief Fire Warden. Section 225, 

 Town Fire Wardens and Fire Districts. Section 226, Duties of 

 Fire Wardens. Section 227, Compensation of Fire Wardens and 

 others employed at fires. Section 228. Railroads in forest lands. 

 Section 229, Fires to clear land. Section 230, Forest fires pro- 

 hibited. Section 231, Proceeds of actions for forest fires. 



The wording and fundamental purpose of the law is to prevent 

 fire, and at the same time have an efficient organization which 

 can quickly get to the place and cope with a fire while it ma}' yet 

 be controlled, or render such services as may be expedient. The 

 public welfare requires and the law provides that all forests, 

 whether on state or private lands, be entitled to the same consid- 

 eration and protection. 



*The Forest Preserve includes all the wild lands of the state situated in 

 the Adirondack and Catskill counties, except the lands in the towns of 

 Altoona and Dannemora, Clinton county, which are under the supervision 

 of the Comptroller. The Forest Preserve includes all or portions of the 

 following counties, of which 1,436,686 acres are state lands, viz : Clinton, 

 Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Oneida, Saratoga, 

 St. Lawrence, Warren, Washington, Delaware, Greene, Ulster and Sullivan. 



