American Forest Congress 437 



Address by Dr. C. A. Schenck 



Director, Biltmore Forest School 



jVyi Y connection with forestry in western North 

 CaroHna is of a three- fold character: I am a 

 lumberman, a forester and a teacher. 



I am a lumberman, and I must confess to being 

 somewhat afraid as a lumberman to appear before this 

 audience. Still, while in charge of a large forest in 

 western North Carolina, I cannot help being a lum- 

 berman. Without lumbering no cash dividend is ob- 

 tainable from forest investments. Therefore, I cut 

 the trees, though I can truthfully add that I do not 

 cut all the tree — for the reason that it pays better not 

 to cut all of them, under the conditions now prevailing 

 in western North Carolina. 



We are just beginning a new year, and, as new year's 

 wishes are in order, I wish that every one of you were 

 possessed of 50,000 acres of hardwood lands in the 

 Appalachian range! If you were the owners of such 

 timber tracts in our mountains, or anywhere in the 

 East, what would you do with the timber ? I ask your 

 conscience, would you let the timber stand, or would 

 you convert that timber, all of it or part of it, into 

 money? We are in the habit of blaming the other 

 fellow for cutting the trees. Now, pardon me when 

 I ask: What would you do with the trees if you 

 owned them? 



Secondly, I am a forester, and as a forester I am 

 meant to raise trees, partly by planting, partly by 

 lending Nature a helping hand. The owner of the 

 Biltmore estate, without doubt, would authorize me to 

 practice more silviculture if he could consider silvicul- 

 ture (the raising and tending of a second growth) a 

 remunerative investment; I had better, perhaps, say a 



safe and remunerative investment. 



o 



