Milford chronicle., 1935-07-12
Emergency Conservation Work
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progress report outlining the major items of work
accomplished by the Civilian Conservation Corps
ing the period from April H. 1885, when the first camp
was established to April 1. 1885, made public by
Robert Fechner Director of Emergency Conservation
Work. Compiled by the Census Bureau from reports
from all forest camps including those operated by In
dams Indian Reservations the report shows all re-
forestation and conservation work completed on fifty
nine different types of work ranging from tree plant
ing to the construction of truck trails through forest
areas
making the report public Director Fechner stated
that the Department of Agriculture, the Department Of
the Interior and the Department of War estimated the
present value of the work completed by CCC personnel
to April 1885 at approximately $42SOOOOOO. The
Ords show that the Department of Agriculture evalu-
ated the work done under its supervision at $S5OOOOOOO
The Department of the Interior estimated the value of
the CCC work done under its supervision at $710OOOOO
The value of the work completed under the supervision
of the War Department estimated at $7OOOOOO
Among the principal work items completed were the
following:
Two hundred and ninety-one million trees planted;
most of them denuded
Sixty-seven thousand miles of service roads and
trails constructed through timbered principally
for fire protection (Of this amount $1,000 miles were
truck trails)
Thiry-three thousand miles of telephone lines built
into the nations forest and park fire detection systems
Thirty-eght thousand moes of fire breaks opened
up through fOrested areas.
Reduction Of rife hazards over 1,143,00O acres
Two thousand two hundred lookout houses and look
out towers constructed in forests and parks for fire
detection.
Forest stand improvement work completed
I,841,OOO acres
total of 11.25O,OOO covered in campaigns to
control rodent destruction.
total of 4,824,OOO acres covered in campaigns to
reduce losses caused by beetles, moths and other in
sects.
Tree and plant disease control work conducted over
S,929OOO (The white pine blister rust which has
threatened to destroy large sections of valuable pine
stands the principal disease fOught)
One million. one hundred and forty-fOur thousand
check dams built in gues to control soil erosion.
Flood control work completed included topographic
nf Tho 0InaFin inc Of
2S,O0OOO0 square yards of dam sites and river banks
the movement of 47lOOOO cubic yards of earth fill in
dam construction work the excavation of 100000 cubic
yards of rocks and the movement of $4,000 cubic yards
of earth fill
Completion of timber estimating surveys over 3d.
100000 acres.
Construction of SO,5OO foot horse vehicle and stock
bridges.
Improvement of $1,000 acres of public camp grounds
for TeCreatOnal purposes
Thirty-One thousand miles of roadsides and trail
sides cleared up fire prevention and 10000
acres cleared up for purposes other than fire
Among other items of work completed were the
building of $4,000 buildings and other structures. the
OF S494 tool houses and boxes the deve
opment of 1892 wells springs, the construction of
2627 reservoirs for wdlife stock, the building of
Q 500 miles of fences the expenditure of 592526 man
days tree nursery work. the revegetation 41SO4
acres of range lands the eradication of poisonous and
other types of plants from 10000 the improve
ment of 10000 acres of lakes ponds and beaches the
construction OF 1886 ponds for fish and birds the
structOn of 159 recraatOnal dams and the constrIc
tion OF seven aircraft landing fields
In addition to their regular construction work. the
CCC devoted hundreds of thousands of man-days to
maintenance work In this connection they maintained
$4,000 miles of telephone lines, 1900 miles of fire 7
breaks and 200 miles of truck trails. :
The work programs have been largely directed to-
ward the improvement and protection of our natural c
resources particularly forests parks and the pre-
VentiOn of destructive soil erosion v
The STRENGTHENING Of forest and park defenses t
against the destructive inrOads forest fires insects
nd tree attacking disease represented one of the most
important types of work undertaken by CCC men," said
Director Fechner " \
Fre is the scourge Of the forest causing more for
t devastation than Othe single cause Insects and
sease are close seconds in destructiveness II was
natural therefore that foreers promptly grasped the
opportunity offered by the CC to strengthen fire pro-