In the late 1880's, George W. Vanderbilt decided to transform thousands of acres of cutover and burned-over land on his Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina into the country's first large-scale, scientifically managed forest. After implementation of the first forest plan in 1890, Gifford Pinchot, the first forester born in America, was hired to manage the forest. Biltmore became recognized as the "Cradle of Forestry." Pinchot's successor, Carl A. Schenck put into effect a large variety of forestry practices during his 14-year tenure, including the reforestation of over 2,000 acres of worn-out farmland. The Biltmore Forest School, established by Schenck in 1898 as America's first forestry school, contributed significantly to the profession and resulted in the training of over 300 of some of the country's first foresters.

This session will demonstrate a new website designed to make available a number of documents from the birth of forestry in America. Three institutions in North Carolina: North Carolina State University, the Biltmore Company, and the Forest History Society all number in their holdings important documents from the era. They include photographs, diaries, correspondence, artifacts, and printed materials. Through a combined effort many of these documents are being cataloged and the records describing them contributed to a joint database that will find material no matter at which facility it resides. In many cases the documents themselves are being digitized for use online. The audience will learn how to use these resources and what they will find on the site in the future.