FISHERIES, GAME AND FORESTS. 95 



which becomes in a few years more heavily timbered than ever by young trees 

 growing up. 



If we have no right to get our wood off the State land, please inform us what we 

 can buy the timber for per acre. Truly yours, 



WILLIAM DUNHAM. 



The action of the State officials in refusing to allow families in many localities to 

 obtain fuel has occasioned unfriendly criticism and aroused a feeling of bitter resent- 

 ment among the settlers in some localities. But the Forestry Law prevents the 

 Commission from exercising any discretion in the matter. The law states explicitly 

 that no timber on the Forest Preserve shall be sold ; and there can be no modifica- 

 tion of this restriction, for it was inserted in the State Constitution. 



It has been suggested that the inability of these people to procure fuel will tend 

 to drive them out of the woods ; that the squatters on State land will thus be forced 

 to vacate the premises without any resort on the part of the State to arbitrary 

 measures in the way of ejectment writs ; that temporary campers as well, the hun- 

 ters and fishermen who almost invariably cut live timber for their roaring camp 

 fires, would be kept out, and that such results would be highly desirable. But, on 

 the other hand, it must be remembered that the State is dependent on the resident 

 population, scattered through the forests, for timely help in fighting fires. The 

 posse warned out by a firewarden in time of danger is drawn mostly from this very 

 class. 



It may be well here to mention, also, the numerous applications to purchase the 

 fallen timber remaining on the ground after a forest fire. For instance, a fire 

 occurred last August on Black Bear mountain, near the Seventh lake on the Fulton 

 chain, on land owned by the State. About 400 acres of forest were burned over. 

 Some of the timber was consumed by the flames; but a large number of trees which 

 fell were only slightly charred, and were available for merchantable purposes. In 

 addition there was a remarkably large amount of the fallen timber which was wholly 

 uninjured or scorched, the trees having fallen because, after the flames were under 

 control and the adjoining ground well trenched, the fire continued to burrow in the 

 ground, where, by eating its way from place to place, it burned off the roots of the 

 trees, large and small, causing them to fall from their own weight or the pressure of 

 passing winds. The thick leaf mold, or " duff," which underlaid the forest, com- 

 bined with the exceptional drought at that time, conduced materially to this result, 

 until every tree within the area adjoining the trenches fell to the ground in a tan- 

 gled, unburned mass. 



