Holly Springs National Forest
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Northern Mississippi's Holly Springs National Forest (HSNF) was established by the United States Forest Service on June 15, 1936, during the tenure of USDA Chief Forrester Ferdinand A. Silcox. That same year, it was combined administratively with the Bienville, De Soto and Homochitto national forests, known collectively as "National Forests in Mississippi."
In 1983, the Reagan administration proposed auctioning off the entire national forest to private bidders as part of a nation-wide asset management program. The plan was largely abandoned.
Before the HSNF was established, much of the land was abandoned farmland with rapidly eroding soils. These rolling hills are now covered with loblolly and shortleaf pines, and upland hardwoods. The land owned by the Forest Service is intermingled with private farms and woodlots.
[edit] Location
The HSNF is located in Northern Mississippi and is divided into two major sections. The largest section lies to the southeast of the city of Holly Springs and straddles U.S. Highway 78. The second section sits between Coffeeville and Oakland, just west of Interstate 55.
The district ranger for the HSNF is headquartered in Oxford, Mississippi.
[edit] Recreation
The Chewalla, Puskus, and Choctaw Lake recreation areas are found on the Holly Springs National Forest, offering varying levels of facilities and services (campgrounds, picnic areas, swimming beaches and/or hiking trails).
The source of the Wolf River (Tennessee), Baker's Pond, is located in the northernmost tip of the Holly Springs National Forest, approximately 1 mile southwest of where U.S. Highway 72 crosses the border between Tippah and Benton counties. The Forest Service began working with the Wolf River Conservancy in 1999 to develop hiking trails there.
[edit] References
- Holly Springs National Forest official Web site
- Forest History Society summary of Reagan Administration asset management plan
- Current federal projects and planning in the HSNF
- Wolf River Conservancy
