FOREST PRESERVE TREES CAN BE CUT.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: MARC HUMBERT - Associated Press

A state appeals court ruled Thursday that some trees may be legally cut to make parts of the state Forest Preserve accessible to the public.

The 5-0 ruling from the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court overturned a lower state court ruling blocking a state management plan for the Balsam Lake Mountain area in the Catskills.

Neil Woodworth, an attorney for the Adirondack Mountain Club, which maintains trails on Forest Preserve land throughout the Adirondacks, hailed the appeals court ruling.

"This continues the legal tradition of the public being able to use the Forest Preserve to a reasonable …