FOREST LEGISLATION IN NEW YORK. 



IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS TO THE FIRE 

 LAW BOUNDARIES OF THE ADIRONDACK 

 AND CATSKILL PARKS DEFINED PRO- 

 POSED AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION. 



FOREST matters received considera- ceive an annual salary of fifteen hun- 



ble attention at the latest session of dred dollars and his necessary, traveling 



theNew York legislature, recentlyclosed. expenses, and who shall have supervis- 



First in importance to the forest inter- ion of town fire wardens, visit and in- 



ests of the state were the amendments struct them in their duties and enforce 



made to the forest fire law, brought the law as to fire districts in towns and 



about mainly through the terrible con- under the authority of the commission 



flagrations of the spring of 1903. It commence prosecutions for violations 



would now seem that the protection of of laws to prevent forest fires ; and may 



the state forests is up to those persons from time to time employ expert forest- 



whose business it is to look after them, ers (at a total annual compensation not 



for the weak points of the fire law have to exceed three thousand dollars) and 



been pretty thoroughly overhauled. at a rate not exceeding fifteen hundred 



Bills were also passed amending the dollars a year for any forester. The 



forest, fish, and game law in regard to chief and expert foresters shall hold 



defining the boundaries of the Adiron- office during the pleasure of the com- 



dack Park, and to create a Catskill mission and perform such duties for the 



Park and define its boundaries. The preservation of forests as the commis- 



general supply bill carried a provision sion shall prescribe. The commissioner 



for $250,000 to be used for the purchase may also appoint five assistant fire 



of lands for the Adirondack and the wardens, at least four of whom shall 



Catskill Parks. during seasons of the year when forest 



The senate and assembly also passed fires occur, serve along lines of steam 



a concurrent resolution which provides railroads in the forest preserve counties 



for amendment of section seven of arti- of the Adirondacks. They shall in- 



cle seven of the constitution in so far as spect such railroads and the engines 



necessary to secure the removal of dead thereon, reporting to the commissioner 



timber on burned areas of state lands, the condition thereof for purposes of 



These several measures are of such fire prevention, and perform such other 



particular interest to the readers of duties in preventing forest fires as the 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION that the chief fire warden or the commissioner 



text of each is given here in full. shall direct. They shall also have the 



powers and duties of game protectors, 



I- and when not needed as fire wardens 



AN ACT TO AMEND THE FOREST, FISH, ma y f be employed as game protectors or 



AND GAME LAW IN RELATION TO m reforestation or as the commissioner 



THE PREVENTION OF FOREST FIRES. ^ dm f- . The J ? ha ^ h , ^! 1VC 



an annual salary of six hundred dollars 



SECTION i . Section two hundred and and an allowance for expenses not ex- 

 twenty-four a of chapter twenty of the ceeding four hundred and fifty dollars, 

 laws of nineteen hundred, entitled "An SEC. 2. Said act is hereby amended 

 act for the protection of the forests, by adding a section, to be known as two 

 fish and game of the state, constituting hundred and twenty-four b. 

 chapter thirty-one of the general laws, " SEC. 224^. Fire patrol. Whenever 

 is hereby amended to read as follows : in the judgment of the commissioner 

 SEC. 224<2. Chief fire warden and it is necessary to protect the forests 

 foresters. The commission shall ap- from fire, he shall organize and as long 

 point a chief fire warden who shall re- as necessary maintain a fire patrol along 



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