More than a century after creating the first American forestry management plan, Biltmore is joining forces with Southern Highlands Reserve to restore the high elevation spruce-fir forests of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The famed former residence of George Washington Vanderbilt and the home of America’s first forestry school, Biltmore will contribute $50,000 to the construction of SHR’s new greenhouse, which will be the heart of red spruce propagation for regional reforestation projects.
“For generations, my family has been committed to preserving Biltmore and our surroundings through conservation and sustainability,” said Chase Pickering, great-great-grandson of Vanderbilt and fifth generation family owner who serves as Vice President of Biltmore Guest Experience. “Supporting Southern Highlands Reserve in their significant work to restore the vital spruce-fir forests that define our region is a source of pride; it will help forests thrive and support the wildlife that rely on them. This collaboration honors our shared commitment to environmental stewardship and its impact will be felt for years to come, ensuring future generations can enjoy our region’s natural beauty and unique ecosystem.”
In 1888, 26-year-old George Washington Vanderbilt visited Asheville for the first time and fell in love with the mountain vistas and temperate climate of Western North Carolina. For the next several years, he bought land and built a 175,000-square foot home that remains the largest residence in the United States. He hired Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of New York’s Central Park and a pivotal figure in American landscape architecture, to design the gardens. Olmsted also created one of the earliest documented American forestry management plans as he worked to revive more than 100,000 acres of land cleared for timber and farming. In 1892, Vanderbilt hired European-trained forester Gifford Pinchot, marking the first professional management of a forest in the United States. Pinchot and his successor, Carl Schenck, combined scientific principles with geographical, political, and economic factors to establish a model for American forest management. In 1898, Schenck opened the Biltmore Forest School, and classes were held on the estate and in an area of Pisgah Forest now commemorated as the Cradle of Forestry. Shortly after Vanderbilt’s death in 1914, his wife Edith sold 86,700 acres of land to the federal government, creating Pisgah National Forest.
Today, the spruce-fir forests lining the highest ridges of the Southern Appalachian Mountains are the second most endangered ecosystem in the United States. They are survivors from a time long before humans roamed the land, and through more than a century of logging, fire, pollutants, and parasites, red spruce have endured existential decline.
Spruce-fir forests are home to two federally endangered species, the Carolina northern flying squirrel and the spruce-fir moss spider, which is the world’s smallest tarantula. Also living there are the northern saw-whet owl, red crossbill, brown creeper, black-capped chickadee, hoary bat, silver-haired bat, Weller’s salamander, pygmy salamanders, and a type of lichen called hot dots. The U.S. Forest Service has identified sixteen rare plant species found only in spruce-fir forests. As warming temperatures push more species northward and to higher elevations, red spruce matrons will provide refuge beneath their canopy.
Southern Highlands Reserve grows red spruce trees from seed to be planted on public lands through the Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative, a network of partners including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and many others. At an elevation of 4,500 feet, Southern Highlands Reserve’s nursery perfectly mimics the natural climate and conditions of spruce-fir forests. More than 6,000 of the nonprofit’s red spruce trees are growing on public lands and have an unprecedented 90 percent survival rate. Because efforts have been so successful, the U.S. Forest Service has requested 50,000 more trees, necessitating a new larger and more efficient greenhouse facility. It will include technology to reduce energy expenditure and will more than double current capacity in the same footprint. It will offer enhanced opportunities for visitor education and a home to the dozens of other native plant species that Southern Highlands Reserve propagates for restoration projects as well as home gardens. An adjacent rain garden and mountain bog will serve as a model for stormwater management that can be replicated in residences and communities.
Biltmore joins a list of contributors that includes The National Forest Foundation, the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation, the BAND Foundation, the Vaughn-Jordan Foundation, AEC Trust, the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, and many more private foundations and individual donors.
“We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to partner with Biltmore,” said Southern Highlands Reserve Executive Director Kelly Holdbrooks. “It’s so important for traditional gardens to get involved in conservation. The wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and experience that’s traditionally been reserved for private spaces can make a big difference outside the bounds of the garden.”
To learn more, volunteer, or donate to red spruce restoration, visit www.southernhighlandsreserve.org and www.southernspruce.org.