124 RURAL NEW YORK 



it is mature. At tliis present stage the country is 

 passing out of the usual period of extravagant waste 

 of a vast natural resource into one of intelligent 

 economy. 



The State is gradually promulgating three or per- 

 haps four lines of policy for the benefit of forest 

 development. The first of these is the ownership 

 and reforestation of cheap land; second, the protec- 

 tion of forest areas, especially the State forest areas 

 from damage by fire; third, encouragement and aid 

 to individuals to extend and develop their forest 

 areas ; and, fourth, the provision of educational facil- 

 ities relative to forest management and forest prod- 

 ucts. 



As has been indicated, the State owns about 5,000,- 

 000 acres of land mostly in the two larger mountain 

 parks, the Adirondacks and the Catskills. It is 

 continually acquiring title by tax default or other- 

 wise to small areas of land over the State but mostly 

 in the main forest regions. Through the State Con- 

 servation Commission it is the aim to manage this 

 forest area in the most approved manner and there 

 should be derived therefrom a regular crop of tim- 

 ber. This policy is not in working order and is 

 prevented from operating by the provision in the 

 constitution of the State against the sale of timber 

 from State land. This " save-the-talent-in-a-nap- 

 kin " policy has been discarded in the federal policy 

 in managing national forests. Progressive and ef- 

 ficient management insures substantial returns to the 

 government at the same time that the forests are 



