Planting new forests helped the environment by reducing erosion and providing shelter from the winds of the Dust Bowl. The newly planted trees contributed to soil stabilization, which mitigated the loss of topsoil and preserved agricultural land. Additionally, the forests played a role in conserving and restoring both forests and agricultural lands, promoting a healthier ecosystem overall.
The Civilian Conservation Corps
(paragraphs 7-8)
Impact of the Program
7 The program, sometimes known as "Roosevelt's Tree Army," ended as the nation entered World War II. The pioneering group of CCC men had helped to launch one of the most imaginative and popular government programs in American history. More than 2.6 million men had served in more than 4,500 camps across the country. The men had planted over 3 billion trees and had built over 125,000 miles of roads and trails. The forests the men planted helped to reduce erosion and provided some shelter from the winds of the Dust Bowl. The men also pioneered procedures to conserve and restore forests and agricultural lands.
8 Another remarkable accomplishment was the program's effect on the lives of young men, changing them to confident, well-prepared men who would later capably defend the United States during World War II. The trees will undoubtedly outlive their planters, but Americans should remember the young men who provided one of the few positive and colorful chapters in the drab decade of the Depression. They left a more beautiful, healthier environment and provided methods to preserve some of our nation's greatest resources.
CCC workers at Mammoth Cave National Park, 1938
How did planting the new forests help the environment? (paragraph 7)
1 answer