Renewing America’s Forests

–Preserving nature–

The 19th century lumber industry’s adverse affect on Pennsylvania’s forests is being countered today by managed growth and sensitivity to the ecological concerns.

The State of Pennsylvania responded to the destruction of the forests by creating the Department of Agriculture in 1895. Gifford Pinchot and other reformers played significant roles in protecting the remaining forests and introducing firefighting policies. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a cornerstone of his New Deal program, set up work camps in Pennsylvania to plant trees, build roads, fight white pine blister, erect fire towers, fight forest fires, and create new state parks.