Carl A. Schenck
Encyclopedia
Carl Alwyn Schenck was a pioneering forestry educator in North America, known for his contributions as the forester for George W. Vanderbilt's
Biltmore Estate
, and the founder of the Biltmore Forest School
in 1898, near Asheville, NC
.
. At Giessen he studied for a time under visiting professor Sir Dietrich Brandis
, an influential German-born forester who had played a large part in introducing forestry into the British Empire, working in the forests of India and various other places. Brandis also had a great interest in forestry work in the United States. Schenck completed his Ph.D. degree at the beginning of 1895, and was at that time recommended by Brandis for a job in the United States working for George W. Vanderbilt. Schenck decided to accept the offer from Vanderbilt and sailed to America, arriving in New York City on April 5, 1895.
and German Bernard Fernow
. When Schenck arrived in America at Vanderbilt's request he became the third.
Schenck took over the position of Biltmore Estate forester, and immediately got to work managing the vast land holdings. Schenck worked on various forest plantations, setting up tree nurseries, seed extraction and regeneration efforts, logging areas and sawmills, as well as splash dams and fish hatcheries in the rivers. Schenck used new scientific management and practical forestry techniques which had never before been applied to American forests.
In 1898 with the permission of George Vanderbilt, Schenck founded the Biltmore Forest School
, the first forestry school in the United States, on the Biltmore Estate grounds. Opening on September 1 of that year, the school offered a one-year course of study, and the curriculum focused on providing traditional classroom lectures in silvicultural theory supplemented with extensive hands-on, practical forest management field training. The school operated successfully on the Biltmore grounds from 1898 to 1909, turning out many of the leading American foresters over this time period.
In November 1908 Schenck hosted the Biltmore Forest Fair, designed to demonstrate to visitors the accomplishments and possibilities of scientific management and practical forestry techniques as well as to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Forest School. The 3 day festival on the Biltmore grounds featured between 50 and 100 guests, and successfully demonstrated the real-life results of Schenck’s forestry and conservation practices.
In 1909, after a falling out with Vanderbilt, Schenck left his position at Biltmore taking his school with him. The school would operate in various locations until 1913. Schenck's sustainable management theories and hands-on training would influence forestry education in the U.S. for generations.
George Washington Vanderbilt II
George Washington Vanderbilt II was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family, which had amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises. He built and owned Biltmore, the largest home in the United States.-Biography:The eighth son and youngest...
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore House is a Châteauesque-styled mansion near Asheville, North Carolina, built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. It is the largest privately-owned home in the United States, at and featuring 250 rooms...
, and the founder of the Biltmore Forest School
Biltmore Forest School
The Biltmore School of Forestry was the first school of forestry in North America. The school of "practical forestry" was founded by Carl A. Schenck in 1898 on George W. Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina.-History:...
in 1898, near Asheville, NC
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
.
Education and early life
Schenck was born in 1868 in the town of Darmstadt, Germany. From his youth he looked to forestry as a career, graduating from the Institute of Technology in Darmstadt at age eighteen. Two years later he enrolled for graduate study at the forest school of the University of GiessenUniversity of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
. At Giessen he studied for a time under visiting professor Sir Dietrich Brandis
Dietrich Brandis
Sir Dietrich Brandis, KCIE, FRS was a German forester who worked in India. He is considered the father of tropical forestry.-Early life:...
, an influential German-born forester who had played a large part in introducing forestry into the British Empire, working in the forests of India and various other places. Brandis also had a great interest in forestry work in the United States. Schenck completed his Ph.D. degree at the beginning of 1895, and was at that time recommended by Brandis for a job in the United States working for George W. Vanderbilt. Schenck decided to accept the offer from Vanderbilt and sailed to America, arriving in New York City on April 5, 1895.
Biltmore
George W. Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina included some 120000 acres (485.6 km²) of mountain land. With these extensive forest land holdings, Vanderbilt had decided during the early 1890s that he wanted his forests managed using the best scientific principles of forestry. At this time there were only two trained foresters in the U.S, American Gifford PinchotGifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
and German Bernard Fernow
Bernard Fernow
Bernhard Eduard Fernow was the third chief of the USDA's Division of Forestry of the United States from 1886 – 1898, preceding Gifford Pinchot in that position, and laying much of the groundwork for the establishment of the United States Forest Service in 1905. Pinchot was the first Chief...
. When Schenck arrived in America at Vanderbilt's request he became the third.
Schenck took over the position of Biltmore Estate forester, and immediately got to work managing the vast land holdings. Schenck worked on various forest plantations, setting up tree nurseries, seed extraction and regeneration efforts, logging areas and sawmills, as well as splash dams and fish hatcheries in the rivers. Schenck used new scientific management and practical forestry techniques which had never before been applied to American forests.
In 1898 with the permission of George Vanderbilt, Schenck founded the Biltmore Forest School
Biltmore Forest School
The Biltmore School of Forestry was the first school of forestry in North America. The school of "practical forestry" was founded by Carl A. Schenck in 1898 on George W. Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina.-History:...
, the first forestry school in the United States, on the Biltmore Estate grounds. Opening on September 1 of that year, the school offered a one-year course of study, and the curriculum focused on providing traditional classroom lectures in silvicultural theory supplemented with extensive hands-on, practical forest management field training. The school operated successfully on the Biltmore grounds from 1898 to 1909, turning out many of the leading American foresters over this time period.
In November 1908 Schenck hosted the Biltmore Forest Fair, designed to demonstrate to visitors the accomplishments and possibilities of scientific management and practical forestry techniques as well as to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his Forest School. The 3 day festival on the Biltmore grounds featured between 50 and 100 guests, and successfully demonstrated the real-life results of Schenck’s forestry and conservation practices.
In 1909, after a falling out with Vanderbilt, Schenck left his position at Biltmore taking his school with him. The school would operate in various locations until 1913. Schenck's sustainable management theories and hands-on training would influence forestry education in the U.S. for generations.
Death and legacy
Schenck spent much of the rest of his life traveling throughout the world giving lectures on scientific forestry. He made his last visit to the United States in 1952. He died in Germany on May 15, 1955 at the age of 87. Schenck's teachings have proven to be the foundation of forestry education in America, and his contributions to the field have long outlived his own life.External links
- Biltmore Forest School Photo Collection (Forest History Society)
- Inventory of the Images from 'The Dawn of Private Forestry in America' Manuscript, 1892 - 1913 in the Forest History SocietyForest History SocietyThe Forest History Society is an American non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of forest and conservation history. The society was established in 1946 and incorporated in 1955....
Library and Archives, Durham, NC - Schenck Manuscript Photo Collection (Forest History Society)
- Cradle of Forestry in America
- Guide to the Carl Alwin Schenck Papers in the Special Collections Research Center at North Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
- Schenck Memorial Forest at North Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
- The Rise of American Forestry: From Education to Practice {North Carolina State University Libraries)