FORESTRY IN COLORADO 5 



the supervision and care of such woodlands was also provided for. 

 This officer was appointed by the Governor of the State and an 

 appropriation was made for a nominal salary and the traveling ex- 

 penses of the Commissioner while engaged in his official duties. 

 This act provided that the County Commissioners and road over- 

 seers in each county were to act as conservators of woodlands in 

 their respective localities, under the direction of the State Forest 

 Commissioner. These officers were delegated with the power to 

 enforce the laws and regulations for the protection of such wood- 

 lands and were also enjoined to encourage tree planting along 

 water courses and irrigating ditches to the extent of their power. 

 One of the most important duties devolving upon these forest offi- 

 cers was the prevention and control of forest fires which were rec- 

 ognized then, as now, the greatest enemy of the forests. 



In the same year, another act was passed, which provided for 

 the punishing of persons guilty of setting forest fires, either wil- 

 fully or negligently. Camp fires left burning were considered a 

 special menace to the conservation of the forests and this matter 

 was particularly dealt with in this act. Enactment was also made 

 concerning the posting along public highways of fire notices con- 

 taining a warning as to the extinguishing of all camp fires before 

 breaking camp. In these notices we see the fore-runner of our pres- 

 ent forest fire warnings used by the Government Forest Service on 

 the National Reserves. Mr. Edgar T. Ensign was the first ap- 

 pointee to the office of State Forest Commissioner of this state. 

 Considering the undeveloped state of forestry as a profession in 

 this country, at that time, the work which Mr. Ensign did in the 

 matter of securing data, publishing valuable information about our 

 forests, and lending encouragement to the progress of tree planting 

 and of conservative forestry is indeed surprising. During the 

 year 1888, The State Forestry Association was combined with The 

 State Horticultural Society and this union continued for about three 

 years and was then dissolved. While The State Forestry Associa- 

 tion is still continued as a separate organization no other person has 

 occupied the office of State Forest Commissioner since its occu- 

 pancy by Mr. Ensign, who resigned the. office due to lack of finan- 

 cial support by the state. 



Under an act of 1897 the office of the Forest Commissioner 

 was combined with that of the State Commissioner of Fish and 

 Game. This arrangement lasted but two years, after which the for- 

 estry part seems to have been lost sight of entirely, as a separate de- 

 partment, by being transferred to the jurisdiction of the State Board 

 of Land Commissioners. The State Board of Land Commissioners 

 was given charge of all matters relating to the sale and cutting of 

 timber, the posting of fire notices and the control of forest fires. 



