Roosevelt's Tree Army

Roosevelt's Tree Army. . It had a dual purpose. Created in 1933, during the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided young men an opportunity to be engaged in gainful employment while transforming hundreds of thousands of acres of American landscape. , President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed to create the Civilian Conservation Corps, but did not create a new federal bureau. Instead, he enacted a cooperation of the Department of War Agriculture, Labor, and Interior. Over a period of nine years, three million CCC enrollees received much needed income. They also contributed to a nationwide conservation effort to bring our forests back from an era of overharvesting and transform these lands into recreation destinations. The goal was to plant trees, build roads and trails, create camps and campsites, prevent erosion, and construct dams for wildlife habitat and recreation. Ultimately, making these areas accessible for healthful, outdoor recreation for all Americans. , , Laurel Hill Recreational Demonstration Area , The area now known as Laurel Hill State Park was selected as a Recreational Demonstration Area, one of five in Pennsylvania. These projects were large-scale and covered a substantial amount of land Significant architecture and major water and trail projects were included to create a complete landscape. The Laurel Hill project built group camps, including the camps and barracks that the CCC boys resided in during their enrollment.