Meet traditional craftsmen, exhibitors, forestry students, and entertainers as they gather at the Cradle of Forestry to celebrate our forests and forest heritage.
In 1908 Dr. Carl A. Schenck hosted the Forest Fair at the Biltmore Estate. This event honored the 10th year of the Biltmore Forest School, America’s first school of forestry. Over 400 people were invited to this celebration of the beginnings of American forestry. Today we commemorate Schenck’s Forest Fair along the 1-mile Forest Festival Trail and annual Forest Festival Day. Wood carvers, weavers, and other demonstrators are invited to present their skills and craftsmanship.
Visit the Hemlock Restoration Initiative table to learn all about hemlocks in our forests and to get resources and information for managing your own trees!
Each year Haywood Community College organizes this annual lumberjack competition. Coinciding with Forest Festival Day, events occur in the Pink Beds Picnic Area. Several colleges compete in topics such as dendrology, crosscut sawing, archery, axe throwing, pole climbing and more.
For a more information and for a full schedule of the day’s events, please visit the Cradle of Forestry in America website.
