State

PISGAH How (lie forest storied. Iiow it grew, and wliat it is today. The conneciion of multi-millionaire George Vanderbilt with Transylvania's history was accidental. The wealthy New Yorker came to Buncombe Coun¬ ty in 1888 to acquire land for a preten¬ tious estate which was to surround his fabulous Biltmore chateau. To manage his forestlands he em¬ ployed Gifford Pinchot, one of Ameri¬ ca’s first professional foresters. Perhaps much to Mr. Vanderbilt's surprise. Pinchot's wise stewardship made the forests pay — income from them exceeded management costs. As a result of this windfall. Vanderbilt bought an additional 90.000 acres surrounding Ml. Pisgah. and much of the acreage was on the Transylvania side of Pisgah Ledge. It became the first large tract of forest lands in this country. First School In 1895. Dr. Carl A. Schcnck, a trained forester from Germany, suc¬ ceeded Pinchot. He intensified the management program and in 1898 es¬ tablished the first field school of for¬ estry in America, located at the Pink Picnicking ot rhe Pink Beds, in Pisgoh Forest. Sliding Rock it much steeper thon ir appears in this picture — foreshortening in the lent flattens out the slope. It is on U.S. 276 in Pisgoh Notionol Forcif. Beds section of Transylvania. From that school came the pioneer profes¬ sional foresters of this continent. The graduates spread over the face of the nation, carrying both the message and the know-how of conservation. Widow Sold Land In 1915, Vanderbilt's widow sold 86,700 acres to the National Forest Service, including tracts both in and outside Transylvania. The Silvcrstcen tract of 19,187 acres was acquired later. On this, and on lands in north¬ western North Carolina, was estab¬ lished Pisgah National Forest, and in this forest was established the first na¬ tional game preserve east of the Mis¬ sissippi. In addition to this national forest, some 6.000 acres of Nantahala National Forest intrude into the south¬ western corner of Transylvania. Part of the Vanderbilt tract was logged between 1887 and 1891 by the Scottish Brothers prior to its purchase by Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt later made numerous cuttings under the direction of Pinchot and Schcnck. During this period trout, deer, and turkey were stocked and protected through a sys¬ tem of game protector lodges modeled after those found in the Black Forest of Germany. Heavy Traffic Pisgah is one of 1 1 divisions which make up the North Carolina National Forests, and it is the most popular. Most of it is highly accessible, and over 1,500,000 citizens use its recrea¬ tional facilities each year. An addi¬ tional 2,500,000 traverse its roads cn route to other destinations. This means that a volume of traffic almost equal to the population of North Carolina secs Pisgah each year. The division has ten recreational areas — camping, picnicking, and swimming. It contains over 200 miles of hiking trails and a network of forest service roads. These roads lead to a wealth of attractions, such as moun¬ tain peaks, fish hatcheries and trout fishing streams. Timber Cut Around 5 to 6 million board feet of timber arc cut from Pisgah lands ( Continued on page 22) Most visitor* ore interested in the rcereotion, but Pisgoh's moin business is liees, ond the production thereof.