Report of ^aperintendent of Forests 

 for tf)e ^ear ljol 



Hon. DeWitt C. Middleton, Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner: 



SIR. — In accordance with the requirements of the State Forestry Law 

 I respectfully submit my annual report on the work of the Forestry 

 Department and matters pertaining thereto for the year 1904. 



Forest Fires 



It is a matter of congratulation that during the past season there has 

 been throughout the forests of the Adirondack and Catskill regions an 

 exemption from fire as remarkable as the great destruction which made the 

 year 1903 a memorable one in the records of this Department. This result 

 was due largely to the favorable weather which characterized the season of 

 1904, the frequent rains, and the absence of any prolonged period of drought. 

 Furthermore, the thorough organization of the fire-wardens and their depu- 

 ties in each town, together with the vigilance and activity displayed by these 

 officials, contributed materially to the almost complete immunity from loss 

 in standing timber. Profiting by the unfortunate experience of the previous 

 year, a calamity due, however, to causes beyond their control, the fire-ward- 

 ens were stimulated to an increased degree of watchfulness and efficiency. 



Although the damage to the forest this year was merely nominal, still 



there were a large number of incipient fires; but these were promptly 



attended to at the first sign of danger and were extinguished before any loss 



occurred. Some of these started last spring at times when, by reason of a 



few days of warm sun and wind, the dry leaves on the forest floor were in a 



dangerous condition; and had there been no organized force at hand they 



would, as in previous years, have resulted in fierce flames that swept rapidly 



through the woods until rain came. 



35 



