NOTES 



Forest Legislation in New York 



At the meeting of the New York State Forestry Association, Sep- 

 tember 4, 1918, a committee was appointed to confer with similar com- 

 mittees representing other associations and institutions for the pur- 

 pose of formulating a mutually acceptable forest taxation bill. This 

 committee consists of Geo. N. Ostrander, as chairman, and Professors 

 Baker, Hosmer, and RecknageL 



Profiting by last year's experience, when failure to agree on a satis- 

 factory bill resulted in the Governor's veto of the bills which did pass, 

 the committee decided to have all interests agree on a bill first before 

 introducing it into the legislature. 



Accordingly, suggestions were invited from all those interested, and 

 on February 26 the conferees met in Albany to consider the revised bills 

 as drafted by the committee. At this meeting these bills were approved, 

 with certain modifications, and were thereupon introduced as com- 

 panion bills in the Assembly by Mr. Everett, chairman of the Conser- 

 vation Committee, on March 3 (Print Nos. 1051 and 1052, Intro. Nos. 

 951 and 952), and in the Senate by Mr. Kasson, member of the Con- 

 servation Committee, on March 17 (Print Nos. iioo and iioi, Intro. 

 Nos. 966 and 967). 



The first of these bills amends the existing conservation law by sub- 

 stituting a new section 57 therein, to read as follows : 



57. Classification of lands dedicated to continuous forest production. Lands 

 of the area of fifty acres or upwards, which are unsuitable for agricultural pur- 

 poses, may, in the discretion of the commission, be deemed to be dedicated to 

 continuous forest production, and for the purpose of encouraging the growth of 

 forest trees upon such lands the commission may, in its discretion, with the con- 

 sent in writing of the owner thereof, classify such lands as lands dedicated to 

 continuous forest production, and such lands shall thereafter be subject to the 

 rules and regulations of the commission, failure to obey which shall be sufficient 

 ground for the revocation of such classification by the commission. Such classi- 

 fication shall be certified by the commission and duplicate certificates thereof, 

 under its seal, shall be filed with the comptroller and with the county treasurer 

 of the county in which the lands or any part thereof are located, which certifi- 

 cate shall set forth a description of the lands, the area, the name of the owner 

 thereof, the town in which the same are situated, and the certification that the 

 land has been classified as land dedicated to continuous forest production. It 

 shall be the duty of the county treasurer, upon its receipt, to file forthwith a certi- 

 452 



