Conservation Commission. 11 



Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and plans discussed for 

 controlling and eradicating the disease, which is threatening the 

 extinction of a valuable forest tree. This disease, together with 

 the State's experience with the white pine blister rust and other 

 serious tree troubles, suggests the urgent necessity for the services 

 of an expert plant pathologist. The nature of many of the tree 

 diseases, the agencies by which they are spread and methods of 

 control are almost unknown. 



Purchase of Forest Lands. 



Prior to the creation of the Conservation Commission the 

 authority to purchase lands in the Adirondack and Catskill parks 

 was vested in the Forest Purchasing Board. The powers and 

 duties of that board were delegated to this Commission by the 

 Conservation Law. 



At the time of the organization of this Commission it appears 

 that the State owned 1,643,244 acres of land in the Forest Pre- 

 serve counties. Of this acreage 1,401,942 acres are situated within 

 the Adirondack park and 102,677 acres within the Catskill park. 

 The remaining lands aggregating 138,625 acres are situated in the 

 Forest Preserve counties outside of the parks proper. These 

 isolated tracts, averaging small areas of land, are so scattered that 

 it is difficult and expensive to protect them from the dangers of 

 fire and from devastation by trespass, and they contribute very 

 little to the purpose for which these parks were created. They 

 are of little or no use as pleasure grounds for the people ; nor do 

 they protect the head waters of our streams for the preservation 

 and regulation of the same. 



It seems to us that it would be wise for the State to adopt some 

 measures by which these isolated tracts might be sold and the pro- 

 ceeds thereof used in the purchase of lands within the parks 

 proper. 



The Commission also found that its predecessors in office had 

 been conducting negotiations for the purchase of a considerable 

 quantity of land in the park system, particularly in the Catskills. 

 These negotiations were found to be in various stages of com- 

 pletion. In some cases the deeds had been taken from the owners 

 and placed on record. In other cases, proposals for the sale of 



