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The Adirondack
Forest Preserve is the land owned by the State of New York in
the Adirondack Park. It is managed by the Department of Environmental
Conservation and protected by the "Forever WIld" Clause
of the New York State Constitution. The clause reads, “The
lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting
the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept
as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged,
or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall
the timber thereon be sold, removed, or destroyed.” The
only way that a necessary projects can go forward on the Forest
Preserve is through a lengthy constitutional amendment process.
The 2.6 million
acre Forest Preserve is divided into different classifications,
by Adirondack State Land Master Plan (ASLMP) based on their characteristics
and capacity to withstand use. The plan also sets the policy
for the
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management
of these lands. The ASLMP classifies state-owned lands into the
following categories.
Wilderness
Areas:
These areas comprise about 1.1 million acres or 42% of the Forest
Preserve. Camping, hunting, fishing, skiing, hiking, and other
non-motorized activities are allowed in Wilderness areas.
Primitive Areas: These areas comprise 45,670 acres or
3% of the Forest Preserve. Activities allowed in Primitive areas
are similar to those allowed in Wilderness Areas.
Canoe Area:
This
area comprises 17,634 acres or .7% of the Forest Preserve and
consists of numerous lakes and rivers that provide remote recreation
in a wilderness setting.
Wild Forest
Areas: These
areas comprise about 1.3 million acres or 50% of the Forest Preserve.
Along with activities allowed in Wilderness areas, mountain bicycles
and snowmobiles are also allowed in Wild Forest areas.
Intensive
Use Areas: These areas comprise about 19,508 acres or .75%
of the Forest Preserve. These are areas where the state provides
facilities for outdoor recreation. Types of Intensive Use areas
are campgrounds, day use areas, ski centers, beaches, and boat
launching facilities.
Historic Use
Areas: These
are areas that have buildings, structures or sites that are significant
in the history, architecture, archeology or culture of the Adirondack
Park. These areas comprise about 530 acres of Forest Preserve
or .03%.
State Administrative
Use Areas: These
areas comprise about 1,554 acres or about .1% of the Forest Preserve.
These are areas where the state provides facilities for a variety
of specific state purposes that are not primarily designed to
accommodate visitors to the Park.
Pending Classification: These are areas that
have not yet been classified under the State Land Master Plan.
These areas comprise about 34,931 acres and represent about 1.5
% of the Forest Preserve.
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