Cradle of Forestry in America Heritage Site: The Cradle of Forestry in America is a 6,500 acre historic site within the Pisgah National Forest. Congress set the Cradle aside to commemorate the beginning of forest conservation in the United States. The Cradle of Forestry tells the story of the Biltmore Forest School, the first forestry school in the US, and the beginnings of scientific forestry in America.
For those looking for an opportunity to kick back and relax while learning more about the history of the Pisgah National Forest, The Forest Discovery Center commemorates conservation history with a 28-minute movie by Bonesteel Film on Vanderbilt, Pinchot, Schenck, and the beginning of American forestry, titled “First in Forestry: Carl Schenck and the Biltmore Forest School.”
The center also has an interactive exhibit hall, the Giving Tree Gift Shop, and the Cafe at the Cradle. Two interpretive trails, a Forest Discovery Trail, seven historic buildings, a 1915 Climax logging locomotive, an old sawmill, and numerous crafters all bring Western North Carolina’s past to life. The USDA Forest Service and the Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association (CFAIA) have jointly managed the Cradle of Forestry Historic Site since 1972.
Directions: From Brevard take NC 280 towards Mills River, and make a left at the stoplight onto Hwy 276. Continue until you arrive at Cradle of Forestry.
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