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large areas without injuring it materially. This dead timber, if 

 cut within a year, was available for both lumber and wood pulp. 

 If allowed to stand the spruce would deteriorate the second year, 

 and become worthless in three years. In order to save this timber, 

 and that of other species, the owners cut what they could this 

 last season. Fortunately, there was a good market and a brisk 

 demand for all the lumber and pulpwood that was produced, and 

 hence the loss by the great fire of 1903 was correspondingly de- 

 creased. 



CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 



It is proposed to amend the forestry clause in the State Con- 

 stitution so as to provide thereby that lands in the Forest Pre- 

 serve which are situated outside the boundaries of the Adirondack 

 and Catskill Parks may be sold and the proceeds applied to the 

 purchase of lands within the parks. This amendment has already 

 passed the Legislature at its last session, and must be passed 

 again by the new Legislature this coming winter, after which it 

 must be submitted to the people at the next election when, if 

 voted on favorably, it will become a law. 



In order that the question may be discussed intelligently some 

 information seems necessary as to the extent and character of 

 these outlying lands. To this end I would respectfully submit 

 here some statistics relating to these important points. A careful 

 compilation from the printed volume containing the official list of 

 lands in the Forest Preserve, lot by lot, shows that there are 

 1,037 parcels or lots situated outside the two parks, and that 

 their combined acreage, by counties, is as follows: 



