Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-05
VANDERBILI'S WOODLANDS
First Experiment in Forestry Management in
This Country.
n Hundred Thousand Acres Under
Results From the Care Given.
From the Raleigh News and Observer.

attempt at systematic forest manayement
in America was made at Biitmore In
North Carolina. Mr. G. W Vanderbilt
owns two forests in the mountains of this
state which are under the same manage
ment: One. the i5iitn.ore forest lying a few
miles TO the southeast OF Asherille and
embracing about 500 acres. The other the
Piseah flores; of 5000 acres covering the
eastern and southern slopes of the Pisgah
ridge. with its spurs. and the valleys OF
some of the western tributaries OF the
French Broad river.
The Bltmore forest is on the founded
river hills Of the Asheville basin. the river
dividing il. Its most distant portion: is abou.
ten miles from AsheVillc. Although IL has
heen under forest management only about
seven years the woodland shows great i'm
proNenient over the surrounding forest
which has none Of the protection.
Inc timber On the river hills of The
French Broad was never of tn. best quail
t!; but al the time of its aclulsi.i IN several
decades of cutting for lumber and fuel with
constant pasturage and frequent tires mad
IN many instances reduced the number of
growing trees to only a small proportion
OF what the soil was able to produce
Young trees had no opportunity to ,leVelop,
which meant that a portion of the :armers'
capital. the soil. was not being Laiized
but lying idle
Preventing Ff-cs.
The first step after the adoption Ct a
forest policy was to secure immunity from
iires and the exclusion OF cattle. The pres
ence OF cattle under certain conditions may
be permissible, but every practical precau-
ton is taken TO guard against fires. Al
though there are only three men, who
among other duties. have to act as fire
guards for the 5000 acres few fires of any
extent have occurred.
he NIB; ol
years ago were considered as worthless ex-
cept Tor fuel. and much of the best fuel
TIMBER. the hickory and white oak had been
cut he object of the present manage
inent mas been to continue the removal OF
the old trees. where ii could he done with
cut loss. and al the same time to reproduce
crop OF young trees in their place In
this new crop which is being started prefer
ence is given to the valuable trees: White
oak. post oak. hickory and pine trees
which Will eventually make building ma
ter!als or railway ties. In many places a
thick young growth has appeared beneath
The lew old trees remaining. which is re-
garGed as most promising sign.
throughout this forest the landscape ef-
fect is paramount. as through il wind many
miles of pleasure drives, and no cutting
must be done which will in any way tend
TO mar the beauty of the scene. In fact,
entire hillsides which were formerly under
cultivation are being. or have been. planted
In young trees. This is not done as an adj
risory forest measure, Since the cost of
planting is entirely too large IN proportion
to any hoped for returns. but merely as a
soil covering. a garnish for barren hills. a
Veil to obscure ever-deepening gulies, 10
cover what are now blots on the landscape.
Many of these pleasure drives are expected
some day to form part of an arboretum,
or rather an arboretum is to be planted on
either SIDE of the drives. That is. all the
trees which can be gotten to grow in the
climate of Biltmore are to be planted along
these roads.
Planting Trees.
Trees from everywhere are to be tried,
both native and foreign, from the south
ern hemisphere well as the northern.
The nursery is already stocked with thou
sands of up acimens ready to be placed
along the arboretum roads. 1t will afford
the botanist an excellent opportunity of
study: the lover of trees can here COM
pare the beatty of rival species, and their
adaptability to these sells and conditions;
and even the forester may be benefited,
may secure some species suitable for in
PRODUCTION into the mountain forest which
will be val liable addition to the timber
ever. has nothing to do with the forest,
as 1t is for beauty, or study. a matter
of experiment in the department Of the
various trees at Biltmore: while the for
est and its entire management, far
is compatible with its utilization por-
ton of the landscape gardening, is to Sc
cure an income, d continuous income, from
woodland.
For a great many years the products of
the Bitmore forest must be of low grade
fuel, and often fuel of a poor quality--the
chief efforts of the management being di-
rected toward starting a young wood Of
desirable kinds Of trees, cord wood. At
present the cutting amounts to only few
thousand cords a year. This is hauled to
the river from the hills either side,
and from there is foated to Asheville,
where it is caught in boom. This method
OF transportation Is cheaper than hauling
with wagons. The roads from the forest
to the river are constructed so as to be
down grade all the way. Though the roads
only of earth, they are carefully grad
ed and have no steep places. This per-
mits very large loads of cord wood TO be
carried.
Cutting FirewOod.
The cutting of the wood is to be so dis
tributed that what is cut during a given
period. say ten years. will not exceed what
will have grown during that time. At pres
ent the annual cutting is less than what Is
being yearly added by growth. so as to
permit the woods, which too thin, to
thicken up, and much of the cutting be-
ing done is with the object in view of
moving old trees or defective ones. which
by their shade are interfering with the
growth of young trees beneath them.
Does il pay? So far the Biltmore forest
has been paying for the improvement cut
tings which have been made, as well as for
all operating expenses, and the possibility
of increased returns is greater each year.
The conditions surrounding the Pisgah
forest are SO different from those existing
in the Biltmore forest, and il has been I'M
der forest management such a short time,
that but few important results have as
yet been obtained from IL.
While there are features in the manage
ment Of the Biltmore forest which could
not be generally utilized, such as using the
river for transporting cord wood there
are other principles which sooner or later
every owner of large amounts of woodland
must adopt who wishes to place his in
vestment on sound producing basis
There are some things in which the state,
as measure to protect and increase the
value of the property which is taxes, must
take action, as preventing fires in sections
in which the individual or local authori-