With 17,676 acres (71.53 km2) wooded between Snow Hill and Pocomoke City, the state forest is famous for its stands of loblolly pine and for its cypressswamps, which border the Pocomoke River. The river originates in the Great Cypress Swamp in Delaware and flows southwesterly 45 miles (72 km) to the Chesapeake Bay.[1]
Before the establishment of the State Forest much of the land had been cleared for farming or used as farm woodlots. When the depression era hit many of the farmers fell on hard times, resulting in the acquisition of large amounts of land by the Federal Government.[1]
In the mid to late 1930s, two Civilian Conservation Camps were located on the Forest. The camp workers did considerable road and trail work, established boundary lines, provided for fire protection and suppression, planted trees and performed recreation improvements at Milburn Landing. At this same time the State was purchasing lands for management activities.[2]
