FOREST CONDITIONS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. 107 



The greater part of the estate was covered with forest, but heavily 

 culled and with a reduced productivity. 



The part of this property lying in the vicinity of Asheville, except 

 that which has been included in the Biltmore Farms, has been known 

 generally as the Biltmore Forest, which comprises some 8,000 acres, 

 of which about 2,000 had at one time been cleared and had become 

 abandoned old fields, is situated on a broad plateau, with an elevation 

 of about 2,300 feet. The forest here is of shortleaf and pitch pines, 

 scattered through a hardwood stand of oak, with a small proportion 

 of most of the other broadleaf species of the region. Because it is 

 within easy hauling distance of Asheville, this forest had been severely 

 culled, so that at the time of purchase there was very little merchant- 

 able saw timber left. 



Owing to the scarcity of valuable timber and to its nearness to mar- 

 ket, this forest was managed primarily for the production of firewood. 

 About 2,500 cords a year have been cut from the poor trees, and have 

 been marketed in Asheville at a good margin of profit, besides im- 

 proving the stand. This utilization was made possible by the con- 

 struction of a network of thoroughly good roads over this part of the 

 estate. 



In addition, however, to this old forest land that was producing 

 cordwood, there were some 2,000 acres of absolutely nonproductive old 

 fields included in the forest. To save the annual drain of interest and 

 taxes on this area, it was determined to plant it, the first efforts being 

 largely experimental. Practically all the native trees of value, and 

 many exotics, were tried. At present this land supports a planted for- 

 est of great potential value. The most successful plantings have been 

 of the native pines, white and yellow (shortleaf), and the larger part 

 of the area contains a predominating proportion of these two species. 



The greater part of the Biltmore Estate lies in the mountains along 

 the western side of Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania counties, 

 to the east and south of Mt. Pisgah and the Pisgah Kange. This com- 

 prises some 80,000 acres of comparatively rough forest land, with ele- 

 vations varying from 2,300 to 6,000 feet, and is known as the Pisgah 

 Forest. Owing to its remoteness and inaccessibility there was a much 

 better stand of timber on this area, little having been taken out except 

 the very largest and most valuable trees. Yellow poplar, chestnut, 

 white oak, red oak, chestnut oak, black oak, hickory, maple, and linn 

 are the principal trees. This part of the estate has been managed as 

 a timber forest, the object being to produce saw timber of the greatest 

 value. Looking toward returns from a rise in timber values rather 



