The Holly Springs National Forest (HSNF) was established by the United States Forest Service

United States Forest Service

The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...

 on June 15, 1936 during the tenure of United States Department of Agriculture

United States Department of Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...

 Chief Forester 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

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

." The Holly Springs Ranger District controls 155661 acres (243.2 sq mi) of Forest Service land, interspersed with 530000 acres (828.1 sq mi) of privately owned properties, within the national forest's proclamation zone.

Before the HSNF was established, much of the land was abandoned farmland with rapidly eroding soils.