Cradle of Forestry

At one time, George Vanderbilt's land ownership in Western North Carolina totaled 125,000 acres.  In order to manage this land, Vanderbilt hired Gifford Pinchot to be his first forester.  At the time, much of the land was eroding farm fields and fire-damaged, carelessly cut woods. Together with Frederick Law Olmstead, who encouraged Vanderbilt to hire Pinchot, the three men had a vision of having Biltmore prove that trees could be cut and the forest preserved at one and the same time. Pinchot left Vanderbilt's employ to answer Teddy Roosevelt's call to be the first chief of the United States Forest Service. In his place he recommended Dr. Carl Schenck, with a newly minted Ph.D. in Forestry, be persuaded to come from Germany and become Biltmore's resident forester. Schenck soon gained the admiration of people interested in his plans to harvest trees while maintaining healthy forests for future lumber, scenery and wildlife habitat.

Since America had no forestry schools, those who wanted to learn about the profession asked to volunteer as apprentices under Dr. Schenck. Recognizing a need for forestry education, Dr. Schenck founded the Biltmore Forest School in 1898. During the 15 years the school operated, over 350 students practiced tree stewardship, lumbering and maintaining productive woodlands. Today the site of this first forestry school is called the "Cradle of Forestry in America". In 1914 the Forest Service purchased the site and the rest of Pisgah Forest from Edith Vanderbilt.

This is where we came today.  The site preserves the history of America's first forestry school and there is a 1.3-mile trail that offers a look at past and present forestry methods; we thoroughly enjoyed this adventure. For 14 years Dr. Schenck worked on changing these fields and woodlands into superior examples of forestry for America. Encouraged by successes and wiser from failures, the forester offered a three-day excursion through the Biltmore Estate and Pisgah Forest to show the accomplishments and possibilities of practical forestry. Dr. Schenck invited businessmen, lumber men, politicians and educators to the 1908 Biltmore Forest Fair and wrote a guidebook of sites along the forest trail that we took.  His words were used in many of the exhibits along the trail.

The entrance to the Cradle of Forestry Education Building.

John, a volunteer, showed us a map of the trail we could take.

There were 70 first graders at the Center. They were having a great time on a scavenger hunt.

Outside a group of college forestry students were having their lunch.

The "trail" was paved the whole way with lots of interpretive displays.

We passed a group of the first graders who were doing a project with a Ranger.

Restored 1915 Climax locomotive.

This narrow-gauge locomotive could maneuver sharp corners in the mountains. The logging locomotive made its debut in the Appalachians during Dr. Schenck's time in Pisgah Forest. He and his students visited and studied many locomotive logging operations.

We saw this beautiful blossom on a tree.

This is the tree.  I thought it had the leaf of a tulip tree but there was a tag that said it was a Yellow Poplar.  When we got back to the Center I showed the picture to a Ranger.  He said the Yellow Poplar and Tulip Tree were one and the same.  

The foundation of a home of people who had tried to farm this area.

After our visit we wanted to go to the North Carolina Arboretum. It turned out that the quickest way to get there was to travel the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The Arboretum is located about a mile off the Parkway just south of Asheville, and the Cradle of American Forestry was located about 4 miles off the Parkway about twenty miles to the west.  It was also lunch time so in a great spirit of adventure, we returned to the same picnic area, at Mt. Pisgah, where we had lunch yesterday.  No, we did not sit at the same picnic table.

My first attempt at a panorama picture. (Thank-you, Suzanne!)

Since we were traveling in the opposite direction we saw scenery from a different perspective.  This is a view to the west.  Most of the pictures yesterday were to the east.

Another westerly view.

Just in the short distance we travelled today, we went through 12 tunnels similar to this one.  They each have a descriptive name.

At the North Carolina Arboretum, a facility of the University of North Carolina, we enjoyed gardens that highlighted native species and plants that do well in North Carolina.

The main building, the Baker Exhibit Center, where we picked up a map and trail guides.

There are three, inter-connected, cultivated gardens just behind the Exhibit Center. This garden is supposed to represent a typical North Carolina garden or, at least, the types of flowers that would be in such a garden.

Lots of foxglove.

Another living roof!

The Arboretum encourages other crafts and celebrates local craftsmen.  This is an example of stone- crafting.

A beautiful garden gate by another local craftperson.

Water garden.

The center, planted garden, is a "quilt garden". Each of the 24 squares is 8' X 8'.

The quilt pattern for 2014-2015 is Rail Fence.

I took the pictures of the quilt garden from an elevated platform.  This was the view beyond.

Frederick smelling the fragrant mock orange blossoms.  

This interesting rock  was part of the  water garden.

There is also a bonsai garden; the largest east of the Mississippi. These are some of my favorites.

After visiting the cultivated gardens we took the one mile Natural Garden Trail. We began and ended our visit in the Baker Exhibit Center.  This is the lobby.

This stone wall was along the entrance to the Arboretum. When I see something like this I always think of Scott!

In addition to pictures, I wish there is some way to share the fragrance of the Arboretum. It was heavenly!