When George Vanderbiltconstructed the Biltmore House, he hired forester Gifford Pinchot and, later,Dr. Carl A. Schenck to manage his forests. Over 80,000 of his woodland acres became the home ofAmerica's first forestry school and the heart of the East's firstnational forest formed under the Weeks Act. Now comprising more than 500,000acres, Pisgah National Forest holds a vast history and breathtaking naturalscenery. The forest sits in the heart of the southern Appalachians and includesLinville Gorge, Catawba Falls, Wilson Creek Wild and Scenic River, Roan Mountain,Max Patch, Shining Rock Wilderness and Mount Pisgah. Author and naturalistMarci Spencer treks through the human, political and natural history that hasformed Pisgah National Forest.