With George Vanderbilt's permission, the Biltmore Forest School (BFS) was formed and opened in 1898 under Dr. Schenck's supervision. BFS students initially were sons of wealthy lumber and timber barons. However, within 15 years the school would graduate over 400 forestry students who introduced scientific forestry methods throughout North America. Established universities such as Cornell, Minnesota, and Yale each created forestry schools of their own shortly after the Biltmore Forest School experiment began. But unlike these university-based classrooms, Schenck’s Biltmore School emphasized the practical side of the profession.
Students devoted an intensive twelve months to forestry in the field. Following Schenck's course of work, BFS students could only graduate after completing an internship on the Biltmore Estate or elsewhere in the timber industry.
Unfortunately, Carl Schenck closed his school in 1913 due to low enrollment at the School. Although very skillful as a teacher and forester, Schenck also had a quick temper and demanded a hands-on, practical forestry school. He thought the practical approach would attract students. It did not. The temper cost Schenck his position at the Biltmore Estate which later led to "dissolution" of the Biltmore Forest School.