CRADLE OF FORESTRY – history –
The Cradle’ s beginnings date from 1891. Vanderbilt, the owner of 125,000 acres of North Carolina forest land, became interested in scientific forest management.
Vanderbilt hired two European-trained foresters to manage the land, first Gifford Pinchot, succeeded by German forester Dr. Carl Alwin Schenck in 1895. Schenck spent 14 years applying conservation methods to what is now Pisgah National Forest and founded the first forestry school in America at the Cradle site. Pinchot became the first chief of the U. S. Forest Service in 1905.
The Cradle’ s land was set aside by Congress in 1968 to commemorate the beginning of forest conservation and education in the United States.
Today, the Cradle attracts more than 40,000 visitors annually.
The Cradle is open daily from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. until Nov. 10.
CRADLE OF FORESTRY
– admission –
Regular— $ 6; Ages 4-12— $ 3; America the Beautiful pass holders— $ 3 Every Kid in a Park passes and Friends of the Cradle members – free. For information, call( 828) 877-3130 or go to www. cradleofforestry. com. For more information about all local activities, go to www. transylvaniaexplorer. com.
18 TRANSYLVANIA EXPLORER 2026