392 REPORT OF THE FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



other little patches on the hill above, were started by construction gangs during 

 the building of Raquette Lake Railway, and one more in the extreme southwestern 

 part of the township, lying near the point where the town line between Arietta 

 and Morehouse crosses the south line of the township. The total number of 

 acres burned over on Township 5 is 963.2, which is 4.75 per cent of the total area 

 of the township. 



Township 6 has been the most fortunate, the only burned area of at all recent 

 date on this township being the small patch on the northern slope of the Blue 

 Ridge, which covers 14.4 acres. This burned area dates back some twenty to 

 twenty-five years and is now growing up with a dense stand of young spruce, 

 balsam, and paper birch. In the total area of the township the burned-over land 

 is only 0.06 per cent. 



In Township 41 only a few small areas have been burned over, the total 

 amounting in all to less than 30 acres. The largest of these little patches covers 

 one of the points jutting into Shallow Lake. The others are the small areas on 

 the ridges south of Sucker Brook valley, and the still smaller one on the lower 

 of the Twin Sisters Ponds. The total burned area in this township is 25.6 acres, 

 which is o. 1 1 per cent of the total area of the township. 



On Township 40 the burned-over land amounted to one per cent of the 

 forested area. 



With the exception of those near the Raquette Lake Railway and on Black 

 Bear Mountain, none of the fires were of recent date, and most of the burned- 

 over area is now growing up to a fairly dense stand of forest trees. In some 

 cases only the preliminary stage of birch and poplar has been reached, but 

 almost everywhere the spruce and balsam will in time work their way in under 

 these species. 



In this connection it may be noted that the locomotives on the Raquette 

 Lake Railway are oil-burning. This is a distinct improvement, so far as the 

 danger from forest fire is concerned, over the type commonly used on 

 the railroads penetrating the Adirondack region. The reason why this type of 

 locomotive is used on this road is that in granting the charter it was stipulated 

 that the railroad be allowed to cross the lands of the Forest Preserve only on 

 the condition that oil be used as fuel. 



