World War Il 
World War Il brought an end 
to the Civilian Conservation 
Corps and the work that the 
corps was doing to help 
build the State forest-fire 
protection programs and the 
nursery and reforestation 
work that was so important 
in many areas of the South. 
In the late thirties, the national 
economy began pick up and 
provide jobs for the 
unemployed who had been 
corps recruits. By 1940, war 
was under way in Europe, 
military spending increased, 
and the United States was 
beginning to mobilize. The 
corps dwindled fast. In early 
1942, almost immediately 
after Pearl Harbor, it was 
disbanded completely. But 
the State organizations were 
required to take on some 
very difficult fire-control tasks 
right away. 
Along the east coast a high 
priority was given to reducing 
smoke from forest fires. Not 
only did this smoke cover 
airfields and military bases, 
but more importantly it also 
reduced visibility off the coast, 
which hampered 
antisubmarine operations. It 
was also critical to put fires 
out fast, before they could 
build a glow in the sky that 
might silhouette ships coming 
50 
into ports such as Norfolk 
and Charleston. 
The Federal Government 
appropriated special funds 
amounting to more than $8.5 
million nationwide from 1942 
to 1946. The moneys cane 
from several different 
appropriations over the years, 
and a substantial amount 
went to the west coast. Funds 
appropriated for fiscal years 
1942 and 1943 were on a 
matching basis, but the extra 
funds for fiscal years 1944 
and 1945 were on a 
nonmatching basis (Robbins 
1985, Peirce and Stahl 1964, 
Hobart and others 1982 
unpubl.). 
Congress recognized that 
adding emergency 
fire-control funds to the 
Clarke-McNary appropriation 
would exceed the authorized 
$12.5 million for 1943 and 
1944. In June 1943, Senator 
McNary introduced a bill 
increase the authorization to 
$9 million by fiscal year 1948 
in four annual progressive 
steps. The bill became law in 
May 1944 (Peirce and Stahl 
1964 Robbins 1985). 
There was considerable 
concern that enemy agents 
would set forest fires to 
