Holly Springs National Forest in northern Mississippi was established on June 15, 1936, on land badly eroded and abandoned after heavy agricultural use. Managed as part of the National Forests in Mississippi, it includes Forest Service land within a larger proclamation area that also contains substantial private property, giving it a fragmented character. The Civilian Conservation Corps helped restore the forest by planting loblolly pine, well suited to the depleted soils and useful for stabilizing the ground. Today its pine and hardwood landscape reflects that recovery, while lakes and trails support recreation. A 1983 proposal to sell the forest was largely abandoned, and it remains federally managed.