Forest Preserve (New York)

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Forest Preserve" New York – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (June 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

New York's Forest Preserve, comprises almost all the lands owned by the state of New York within the Adirondack and Catskill parks. It is managed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

As of 2022^[update], the Forest Preserve covers nearly 3 million acres (12,000 km²), about 61% of all land managed by DEC. Around 2.7 million acres (11,000 km²) are in the Adirondacks while 288,000 acres (1,170 km²) are in the Catskills.^[1]

Article XIV of the state constitution requires the Forest Preserve to "be forever kept as wild forest lands", thus providing the highest degree of protection of wild lands in any state. A constitutional amendment would be required to transfer any of this land to another owner or lessee. A later amendment to Article XIV also made the lands important parts of water supply networks in the state, particularly New York City's, by allowing 3% of the total lands to be flooded for the construction of reservoirs.

The establishment of the Forest Preserve in the 19th century was motivated primarily by economic considerations. Over time, its importance to recreation, tourism, and conservation came to be seen.