PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST, N.C.  — Deep in the mountains of western North Carolina sits a place considered by many to be the birthplace of forestry in the United States. Known as the Cradle of Forestry, the site is a reminder of how scientific forest management first took root in America. It began in the late 19th century, when industrial growth and logging were rapidly stripping forests across the nation. By the 1890s, America’s timber industry was booming, but little thought was given to sustainability or long-term conservation. Forests were routinely cleared without plans to replenish them. That began to change when George Vanderbilt, builder of the nearby Biltmore Estate, recognized the need to preserve forestland while still making it profitable. Vanderbilt hired German forester Carl Schenck to develop a sustainable land management system. Schenck’s work focused not only on harvesting timber but also on reforesting and protecting the ecosystem for future generations.