10 FOREST PLANTIKG. 



river Tvill undoubtedly continue, unless an effective stop 

 is put to the further deforestation of the Adirondacks, 

 and the reforestation of the denuded wood-lands thereon 

 is begun. But here we encounter difiBiculties which 

 apparently are scarcely to be overcome. For it is not so 

 much the inclemency of the climate, or the exposure of 

 the location, or the poorness of the soil, which prevents 

 the restoration of our mountain forests ; it is the fact 

 that of the four millions of acres covering the Adiron- 

 dacks, only eight hundred thousand belong to the State, 

 while the remaining three millions and two hundred 

 thousand acres are the property of private owners — and 

 these, in general, have neither the intention nor the de- 

 sire to be troubled with forest planting. They strip off 

 every valuable tree, and when their lands become un- 

 profitable allow them to be sold for taxes. In this way 

 a great many acres reverted to the original owner, the 

 State, as nobody found it desirable to buy denuded or 

 devastated wood-lands. 



In 1873 the "Park Commissioners," it is true, recom- 

 mended that in the mountainous regions of our State no 

 more State lands should be sold, and that, as lands 

 reverted from non-payment of taxes, they be held for 

 future forest management. This advice, however, was 

 not acted upon until 1885, when the State, notwithstand- 

 ing the sales that had been effected during the interval, 

 had again become the owner of about eight hundred 

 thousand acres of wood-lands. 



To the Legislature of 1885 is due a new and sound 

 departure in the forestry interests of our State ; for by 

 the act passed on the 15th day of May, 1885, a Forest 

 Commission was established, whose duty it was to 

 preseiwe the State forests, and the former recommenda- 

 tion of the "Park Commissioners" was made obligatory. 

 At present none of the State lands situate in the coun- 



