The Great Depression was in full swing by 1933. At that time, approximately a quarter of the working population was unemployed and natural disasters were causing woes for farmers and many people had lost their homes. By 1933 the country had a new president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose main focus was to bring economic relief to the public. As a result, he initiated federal programs that were developed to assist in the country's financial recovery.
As early as 1910 when he was appointed to the New York State committee on forests, fish and game, Roosevelt was concerned about the lack of policies for the development of land and water resources. In 1931as governor of New York, he proclaimed a Conservation Week in New York State to promote greater public awareness. Also while governor, Roosevelt worked for emergency legislation in an attempt to deal with growing unemployment in the state and set 10,000 unemployed people to work on reforestation. During the presidential campaign in 1932 Roosevelt presented the possibility of using a million men in forest work across the nation.