In the early 20th century, the Appalachian forest was subjected to devastating large-scale commercial exploitation for the first time. At the same time, pioneering conservationists were devising reforms for forest management. In 1889, George Vanderbilt hired a young European educated forester, Gifford Pinchot, to care for the vast woodlands around the Biltmore Estate. When Pinchot left to pursue his work at the national level, Vanderbilt hired a German forester, Dr. Carl Schenck, to replace him. Schenck created the first school of forestry in America, the Biltmore Forest School. Though the school closed after 14 years, its influence endured. In 1968, Congress established the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah National Forest as a National Historic Site to tell the story of America’s efforts to preserve its great forests.
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