available for firefighting 
(Hobart and others 1982 
unpubl.). 
The first few camps were 
established on Federal lands, 
but it was clear from the 
beginning that opportunities 
to build nurseries, fire towers, 
roads, offices, and so forth, 
lay within the States. 
Secretary of Agriculture 
Wallace called a conference 
of State officials on April 6, 
1933, to discuss extending 
the corps program in support 
of State forestry efforts on 
both public and private lands 
and in State parks. USDA 
Forest Service personnel 
began immediate work with 
the States to plan for the 
use of corps personnel when 
they became available. 
While the manpower was 
available without cost to the 
States, they had to supply 
materials for construction 
projects. They also were 
required to provide a budget 
for future maintenance of 
constructed 
facilities —sometimes a 
limiting factor. The challenge 
was to find labor-intensive 
ways to accomplish the goals 
(Fechner 1934, Salmond 
1967). 
The allocation of camps was 
very rapid. On June 4, 1933, 
the Virginia Forest Service 
had 8 companies of 1,600 
men ready for work. 
Fortunately, it took a few 
days to build their camp, 
giving the State personnel 
time to get organized, gather 
tools, and plan 
forestry-related work. Other 
States had similar 
experiences. Each camp 
had eight supervisory 
positions available for 
“technical or practical 
forester[s]," but few foresters 
were available at the start. 
Many positions were filled by 
civil engineers and forest 
wardens. Where possible, 
“local experienced men” 
were hired for supervisors. 
They knew the area and the 
working conditions, and, 
importantly, they provided a 
link with the local community 
(Hobart and others 1982 
unpubl.). 
During the Civilian 
Conservation Corps period, 
1933 to 1942, the number 
and location of camps varied 
widely within States. The 
number rose quickly, then 
leveled off until 1935, when 
closing a number of camps 
was proposed to reduce 
Federal budget outlays in 
41 
