SPECIAL REPORT 



ON THE 



EFFICIENCY OF THE TOP-LOPPING LAW, 



March 10, 1913. 

 Conservation Commission, Albany, N. Y.: 



Gentlemen. — I submit herewith the results of an investiga- 

 tion into the value of the so-called " top-lopping " law as a means 

 of reducing the forest fire danger. 



This provision of the fire law was drafted by a committee 

 appointed at a conference, called after the disastrous fires of 

 1908, to secure a more effective law. It was suggested by the 

 lumbermen and but little objection was made in regard to its 

 enforcement until last year. When the new forest law was passed 

 at the last session of the Legislature, its application was limited 

 to the so-called " fire towns," and the provision providing a 

 penalty for failure to lop tops was stricken out. 



At that time there seemed to be a question as to the effective- 

 ness of this method as a means of reducing the forest fire danger. 

 On account of the heavy snow cover, field examination was im- 

 possible then, but in order to secure definite facts for your con- 

 sideration, last fall, before the winter began, I investigated this 

 matter and report as follows: 



During the week of September 30th, three hearings were held 

 at Watertown, Saranac Lake and Glens Falls by the Superin- 

 tendent of Forests to determine what the feeling was in regard 

 to the top-lopping law in its present standing. 



The results were quite unsatisfactory because of the difference 

 of opinion expressed. The objections to the law were : 



1. That the soil burned much deeper in the case of a fire 

 running through lopped tops as against unlopped tops where the 

 fire occurred one to three years after the cutting. 



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