The N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh will present a free screening of "America's First Forest: Carl Schenck and the Asheville Experiment," the first in-depth documentary film about legendary forester and educator Carl Schenck. The film, which debuted on national public television in April, tells the story of the German forester who managed over 100,000 acres of woodlands at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville and established the first forestry school in the United States. He helped launch the American conservation movement.
Join us for the screening of "America's First Forest" on Friday, June 17, at 7 p.m., followed by a panel discussion and a Q&A session. Arrive at 6:30 p.m. to talk with local forestry education and outreach groups. After the film, the panel discussion will feature James G. Lewis, executive producer of "America's First Forest," historian, and editor of Forest History Today; Brian Haines, public information officer of N.C. Forest Service; and Joann Meyer-Cox, CF/CFA and owner of Meyer-Cox Forestry Consultants, LLC. Science comedian Brian Mallow will serve as moderator.
Discover Schenck's amazing story and his pivotal role in our nation's history. In the late 1800s, he helped stop the Industrial Revolution from destroying the nation's forests. At this critical time in America, Schenck introduced innovative techniques to manage the woodlands around the newly constructed Biltmore Estate. By restoring the forest using the "new" science of forestry, he employed experiments that provided a blueprint for how to save the nation's forests.
Schenck founded the country's first forestry school, which helped Pisgah National Forest become the first national forest established from private land. The educator, forester, lumberman and forest conservation advocate is also known for his memoir Cradle of Forestry in America.