﻿Forest, 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game 
  Commission 
  33 
  

  

  oughly 
  clean 
  their 
  rights 
  of 
  way, 
  but 
  under 
  the 
  present 
  law 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  other 
  alternative 
  for 
  this 
  Commission, 
  and 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  they 
  

   use 
  oil 
  burners 
  for 
  only 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  during 
  

   the 
  day, 
  the 
  fire 
  risk 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  hazardous 
  to 
  need 
  this 
  pro- 
  

   tection. 
  

  

  Top 
  Lopping 
  Law 
  

  

  The 
  top 
  lopping 
  clause, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  fire 
  law, 
  has 
  been 
  

   subjected 
  to 
  some 
  criticism 
  and 
  has, 
  in 
  places, 
  been 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   enforce. 
  At 
  present 
  the 
  law 
  applies 
  to 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  sixteen 
  forest 
  

   preserve 
  countries, 
  while 
  the 
  section 
  relative 
  to 
  setting 
  fires 
  to 
  clear 
  

   land 
  and 
  our 
  jurisdiction 
  in 
  the 
  enforcement 
  of 
  all 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  fire 
  law 
  applies 
  to 
  only 
  ninety-four 
  towns 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  portion 
  

   of 
  the 
  Adirondacks 
  and 
  Catskills. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  good 
  reason 
  why 
  

   we 
  should 
  be 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  enforcement 
  of 
  this 
  law 
  in 
  a 
  

   territory 
  larger 
  than 
  where 
  we 
  are 
  responsible 
  for 
  fire 
  protection. 
  

   The 
  law 
  should 
  be 
  amended 
  to 
  apply 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  towns 
  enumerated 
  

   in 
  section 
  jt>- 
  This 
  law 
  was 
  signed 
  by 
  the 
  Governor 
  late 
  in 
  May, 
  

   1909, 
  but 
  was 
  not 
  fully 
  enforced 
  last 
  year. 
  This 
  season 
  an 
  effort 
  

   has 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  secure 
  a 
  compliance 
  with 
  the 
  law 
  with 
  quite 
  

   uniform 
  success. 
  The 
  fire 
  patrolmen 
  make 
  systematic 
  inspections 
  

   and 
  but 
  few 
  violations 
  are 
  occurring 
  at 
  this 
  time. 
  These 
  violations 
  

   are 
  nearly 
  all 
  on 
  small 
  jobs, 
  often 
  only 
  twenty 
  to 
  thirty 
  trees 
  cut 
  

   by 
  some 
  farmer 
  who 
  claims 
  ignorance 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  this 
  law. 
  

  

  The 
  greatest 
  difficulty 
  with 
  this 
  law 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  is 
  to 
  

   actually 
  determine 
  what 
  is 
  a 
  compliance. 
  The 
  law 
  reads 
  " 
  Every 
  

   person 
  who 
  shall, 
  within 
  the 
  forest 
  preserve 
  counties 
  of 
  the 
  state, 
  

   cut 
  or 
  cause 
  to 
  be 
  cut, 
  or 
  allow 
  to 
  be 
  cut 
  any 
  coniferous 
  trees 
  for 
  

   sale 
  or 
  other 
  purposes, 
  shall 
  cut 
  off 
  or 
  lop 
  or 
  cause 
  to 
  be 
  cut 
  off 
  

   or 
  lopped 
  from 
  the 
  said 
  trees 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  cutting 
  the 
  said 
  trees, 
  

   all 
  the 
  limbs 
  or 
  branches 
  thereof, 
  unless 
  the 
  said 
  trees 
  be 
  cut 
  for 
  

   sale 
  and 
  use 
  with 
  the 
  branches 
  thereon." 
  There 
  are 
  many 
  opera- 
  

   tions 
  where 
  the 
  wood 
  material 
  in 
  the 
  fallen 
  tree 
  is 
  removed 
  down 
  

   to 
  as 
  small 
  a 
  diameter 
  as 
  three 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  two 
  inches, 
  in 
  

   which 
  case 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  stubbed 
  top 
  is 
  left, 
  but 
  as 
  this 
  leaves 
  limbs 
  

  

  2 
  

  

  