All townships of the first class, boroughs, and cities of this Commonwealth are hereby empowered to acquire, by purchase, gift, or lease, and hold as the property of the municipality, tracts of land at present covered with forest or tree growth, or suitable for the growth of trees, and to administer the same, under the direction of the Commissioner of Forestry of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in accordance with the practices and principles of scientific forestry, for the benefit and advantage of the said municipalities. Such tracts may be of any size suitable for the purpose, and may be located either within, adjacent to, or at a distance from the corporate limits of the municipality purchasing the same: Provided, That it shall be requisite for the commissioners, burgess, or mayor of any municipality, availing itself of the provisions of this act, to submit to the Commissioner of Forestry, and secure his approval of, the area and location of any lands proposed to be acquired for the purposes of municipal forests, previous to the passage of the ordinance provided for in section two.
53 P.S. § 3351