The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-07-06
THE FIRST YEAR OF C. c. c. IN
MARYLAND
BY F. W. Besley, State Forester


or the C. c. c. as it is generally call
ed, there are certain outstanding ac-
complishments to be noted
First of all is the rapidity with
which a program of such big proper
lions was gotten under way. $780,
600 young men between the ages of
IS and 25, unemployed, with de-
pendents on relief, were to be taken
from their depressing surroundings
and given jobs in forest work where
they could not only support them
selves but furnish an average of $25
per month to take care of depend
dents. These men were selected by
the welfare agencies, enrolled by the
Army, sent to conditioning camps
for a sufficient period of condition
ing, equipped, and transported to
the woods, where regular camps
were set up under Army supervision,
and were ready for work on the Ma
tional Parks, State Forests, State
Parks, and other public or semi
public properties, doing forest and
park work All this was accom-
plished within a few weeks. The
first of the c.. G. G. camps was set up
in the woods on April Is, less than
six weeks after President Roosevelt
was inaugurated, and the other L.
200 camps followed rapidly. BY
July, nearly all of them were in TIP
Grafton. The original program has
been expanded to provide for 800,
600 men instead of 100000, as first
planned. The speed at which these
men have been taken from the
streets and countryside, equipped,
conditioned, and placed in well-or-
ganized and well-conducted work
camps in the woods, has been rev.
elation.
A second observation is the prac-
tical value and soundness of the pro-
gram which was apparently so hast
lily conceived and speedily put in OPP
Grafton 1t was primarily relief
measure, reaching a class that was
not being cared for. These young
fellows were adrift, restless, and
constituted a serious social problem
A few weeks in camp under whole
some influences and the feeling that
they have a real job in doing con-
structive, worthwhile work have
brought about wonderful changes in
individuals and have raised morale
in general Even if nothing more
were accomplished, the expenditure
of funds for this work would be
justified. But these men have been
sent to work camps for specific
purpose, to do work much needed
in improving and making more valu-
able and accessible these public
properties. The Forestry Depart
ment fully recognized this oppor-
tunity to improve the State Forests
and is making full use of it. There
Iare in Maryland eleven C. c. c.
lcamps of 200 men each under the
Supervision of the Forestry Depart
ment. OF these, nine are Forest
camps and two are Park camps. In
addition, there are two other camps
in the State under Federal control,
,one on the Boltsville Experimental
Farm, and the other on the reserva-
ton of the Navy Powder Factory at
Indian Head. The eleven State
Icamps are all on State Forest or
Park lands except one, which is on
the Frederick City Watershed prop
ierty.
During the past year our forest
camps have been doing much needed
work in building roads and trails to
make the forest accessible; clearing
fire lines for better fire control; con-
structing telephone lines for better
communication with the fire obser-
walton towers and for administrative
purposes; building steel fire obser-
walton towers for detecting fires;
making improvement cuttings and
trimmings in the forest for perma-
Inent improvement; Graduating in
Isects and tree diseases; improving
public camp sites and recreation
grounds; and other constructive
work for the benefit of the forest
and it's users.
This is work that we had planned
and hoped to do, but in the natural
course of events it would be many
years before it could be accomplish
ed. The G. C. c. has enabled us to
carry out these plans now, and
thereby has speeded up the forestry
Improvement program at least fif-
teen years.