70 Secokd Annual Report of the 



region still more popular. Numerous campers prefer wooden 

 structures or portable houses to tents, and the indications are that 

 they are willing to pay a reasonable rental for camp sites. It is 

 argued that as soon as a person becomes a lessee of property he 

 has a greater interest in the protection of that locality than has 

 the transient, and that, therefore, leasing of camping sites, under 

 proper restrictions, would greatly reduce the present fire hazard, 

 and, on the other hand, result in establishing an auxiliary volun- 

 teer fire protective force. The revenue which would be derived 

 from this source by the State would be considerable, and could be 

 properly spent in securing better fire protection. 



The present State Constitution prohibits the leasing of camp 

 sites, and, on account of the importance of the question, the people 

 should consider these problems carefully and thoroughly in order 

 that, when the time for a constitutional change arrives, they may 

 act intelligently. 



Management. 



The State of New York is probably the largest forest land owner 

 in the Eastern States. The forest preserve which it has acquired 

 embraces an area one-half as large as the entire State of Connecti- 

 cut, or about one and one-quarter times as great as the State of 

 Delaware. 



The State Constitution adopted in 1894 prohibits the removal, 

 sale, or destruction of timber growing on this extensive area. 

 During the two decades, since the Constitution was adopted, 

 important economic, industrial and administrative changes have 

 taken place. At that time there was no appreciation of the im- 

 portance of scientific forestry; there was not a single American 

 school of forestry, and probably not more than five professional 

 foresters in the whole country. The forests were then considered 

 as something whose maximum quantity was fixed and not capable 

 of reproduction and increase by growth as is now known and 

 admitted to be the case. 



The area has increased from 720,774 acres to more than one 

 million six hundred and fifty thousand acres ; our population has 

 increased from six million people to nine million. It is therefore 

 seen that the application was made at a time when there was but 

 50 per cent, of the present area, and a lesser population, and 



