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 
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
Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (August 2019)
State Land Classification Acreage Statistics (see the Maps/GIS page for more statistics)
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 184kb)
MOU Appendices B: Policy on All-Terrain Bicycles
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
Find More Information...
Unit Management Planning Initiative at the NYS DEC web site
DEC Adirondack Forest Preserve web site
DEC State Campground Information -- includes a link for campsite reservations
Leave No Trace -- dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation
State Land Presentations
Alpine Ecology PDF
Snowmobile Mileage Limits on Wild Forest
view text version of slide
show...
Proposed Temporary Revocable Permit Policy PDF
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...
June 1972 edition of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan Map
Low-Flying Military Aircraft in the Adirondacks
Proposed New York Air National Guard Adirondack Range Airspace Modifications...
NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs information...
"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
