Conservation Commission 177 



Where there are large unbroken blocks of forest land, roads and 

 trails should be constructed wherever possible, to make these tracts 

 accessible to fire fighters. The restrictions imposed by the State 

 Constitution upon the State land, whereby no trees may be cut for 

 any purpose, may impede the progress of this work. However, 

 we hope that eventually the people of the State will see the value 

 of allowing the practice of forestry in the forests belonging to the 

 State, both as a means of reducing the fire danger, and as a proper 

 and legitimate source of revenue, and that they will vote to change 

 that iron clad amendment to the Constitution, so as to permit the 

 legitimate use of the forest wealth of the State. 



Cooperation between lumbermen and owners of timberland has 

 not been sufficiently developed. A fair degree of fire protection 

 has been given by the State to privately owned tracts of timber- 

 land, within the Forest Preserve, but it is time now for the owners 

 of those tracts to do something for themselves. In the Adirondack 

 region, especially, excellent opportunities are presented for the 

 successful organization of forest fire protective associations. 

 Large contiguous areas of forest land, under the ownership of 

 only a few persons, make this proposition thoroughly practical 

 and workable. Furthermore, such organizations would greatly 

 aid, without interfering or conflicting with, the system of protec- 

 tion managed by the State. 



Although the town law gives the supervisor the same authority 

 in his town as the Conservation Commission has in the "fire 

 towns," it is time for New York to consider the question of estab- 

 lishing a system of protection which shall be statewide in its ap- 

 plication. Peculiar conditions which have existed in New York 

 State, owing to the establishment of the Forest Preserve many 

 years ago, have led thus far to the restriction of State fire pro- 

 tection to certain designated regions, which comprise only about 

 one-fourth of the total area of the State. It is right and proper 

 that the State should devote a large part of its attention to fire 

 protection in the localities where its own forest lands are situated ; 

 but this is no reason why the rest of the State should receive no 

 State aid in this important work. There are many large tracts 

 of forest land which are not included in the fire towns, be- 

 sides vast areas containing valuable woodlots interspersed amongst 



