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"The lands now or hereafter constituting the Forest Preserve shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be sold, nor shall they be leased or taken by any person or corporation, public or private."
-- New York State Legislature, May 15, 1885

Adirondack Park State Land

New York State has one of the oldest land preservation programs in the United States ...

Over a century ago, New Yorkers established the Forest Preserve. An act of the Legislature in 1885 declared that State-owned lands in eight Adirondack and three Catskill View from Indian Falls in the Adirondack High Peaks counties should "be forever kept as wild forest lands." Further, the land could not be sold or leased.

The Act was a notable beginning, but it was inadequate to stop those who abused the land, and the struggle to preserve the forests continued. Dams were proposed which would have flooded many of the deeper forested valleys. Finally, in 1892, the Adirondack Park was created to encompass both the Forest Preserve and private lands in the central region. The State Constitution of 1895 redefined the Forest Preserve, adding that lands shall not be cut, "nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed, or destroyed."

Fast Facts

State Land Classification Definitions

State Land Classification Acreage 2007 Statistics (see the Maps/GIS page for more statistics)

Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan -- (pdf 635kb)

State Land Master Plan Map

Memorandum Of Understanding Between The Adirondack Park Agency And The Department Of Environmental Conservation Concerning Implementation Of The State Land Master Plan For The Adirondack Park (pdf 51kb)

Planning for the Adirondack Park Forest Preserve -- Flyer describing the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan as a framework for stewardship of the Park's public lands. (pdf 276kb)

How do you protect the Forest Preserve?

Current unit management plan (UMP) status

APA State Land Program -- overview of APA staff responsibilities and activities

Inter-Agency Work Plan for Management of Terrestrial Invasive Plant Species on State Land in the Adirondack Park (StateLandInvasivesPlan.pdf 431kb)

Proposed State Land Classification Changes

The Adirondack Park Agency is accepting public comment on 91 State land classification proposals, totaling approximately 31,056 acres, and 4 State land reclassification proposals, totaling approximately 468 acres. The areas subject to this proposal are located in the Counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Oneida, St. Lawrence and Warren. The Agency has scheduled five public hearings on the proposed classifications and reclassifications and will accept written comments until March 19, 2010. Additonal information can be found in the following documents:

Public Hearing Notice (pdf 41kb)

Description of Action (pdf 29kb)

Proposed Classification Chart (pdf 79kb)

Proposed Classification Maps (pdf 13.5Mb)

Interactive Map Application

Lyon Mountain Tract Resources

Lyon Mountain Tract Classification Analysis (pdf 20kb)

Natural Resources Map (pdf 1 MB)

Existing Facilities Map (pdf 1 MB)

Acreage Map (pdf 97kb)

For further information, contact Richard Weber at (518)891-4050.

Staff Presentation on Snowmobile Mileage Limits on Wild Forest

view text version of slide show...

Staff map documenting 1972 snowmobile trail use on Forest Preserve

The map was prepared by Agency staff to document the extent of snowmobile trails designated by the DEC on Forest Preserve in 1972 at the time of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan's adoption. The maps in the DEC 1972 snowmobile brochure entitled "Snowmobile Trails in New York" LF-P2 (10/72) were digitized at a scale of 1:24,000 utilizing best available sources for confirmation of trail locations. The resulting park-wide map indicates that an estimated 743 miles of designated snowmobile trails existed on Forest Preserve in 1972. see map...