Scott State Forest

About Scott State Forest

Located in the Northeast of Tennes and Fentress counties, this forest is completely surrounded by the Tennessee River and its tributaries and the Great Smoky Mountains.

The state acquired much of the forest in 1938 as a tax evader, but bought part of the land and repurchased parts of it in the 1950s. This system is unique in that it is completely surrounded by the Tennessee River and its tributaries and the Great Smoky Mountains. There are no inland holdings, no cemeteries, and no nature reserves; this is the only national park in Tennessee with an inland holding, cemetery, and nature reserve.

Most of the wood in the forest is hardwood, about the size of sawwood, with many stands rotating or near old age. The forest was used for research, including studies of tree species and improvements, in which improved strains of different species were cultivated and tested.

Although there are excellent populations of white pines in the forest, most of them have been lost to pine beetles. The primary use of this forest will serve as a research site for the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Park Service.