CNR Forest Assets Updates

The CNR Forest Assets management team has been effectively managing the Forests associated with NCSU. The primary objective of these forest management is educational, research and demonstration that benefits the faculty and students in the College of Natural Resources at N. C. State University.

The Forests Portfolio includes: Gates Forest, Goodwin Forest, Hosley Forest, Taylor Forest, Hofmann Forest, Lee Forest, Timaca Forest, Bull Neck Swamp Forest, Hill Forest and Schenck Forest.

The Forest Assets Team include Executive Director of Forest Assets and Vice President of Natural Resources Foundation Board, Sam Cook, Forest Managers Elizabeth Snider and John Sanders, and Program Associate Laxmi Parajuli.

Here is an update on recent and ongoing projects on various forest.

Schenck Forest:

We have a timber sale agreement with Triangle Forest Products for the upcoming timber harvest at Schenck Forest, a total area of 26 acres, generating a revenue of $29,000. This will be completed within the next 18 months. Funds from the 2019 timber sale went towards the new roof at the picnic shelter, qr code signage for the arboretum and other educational signage. Several Eagle Scouts have completed projects and several more are in the works. There are now three bat habitat boxes throughout, seven new arboretum tree specimens, a new arboretum kiosk and bench, sign posts for educational signage, and a new recreational grill; other projects planned include 2 pollinator hotels and a new trail on the western end of the property.

Bandwidth, a communications services provider, will be located at 2201 Edwards Mill Road. The project will include two five-story buildings covering 450,000 square feet in its first phase. A second 350,000-square-foot phase is anticipated. Along with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Commissioner Steve Troxler, Bandwidth officials recently announced that “ a quick access to Schenck Forest and Umstead State Park” is on their list of some of the features of their new headquarters along with of 2 miles of walking trails, with connections to nearby greenways.

Forest Assets is taking this opportunity and is working on negotiating with the project to improve the parking situation along the access road as well as other improvements within the forest.

Goodwin Forest:

In November 2020, 56.2+/- acres of Timber was sold to Jordan Lumber and Supplies from Goodwin Forest, generating a revenue of $159,071. The harvest is complete and the contract is successfully closed out.

Dr. Moorman and Krishna Pacifici have an ongoing study with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission to study turkey ecology in the 3 regions of the state. The Goodwin is included in the Piedmont region of the study as a monitoring and capture/release site. As Dr. Moorman noted, a testament to the stand age diversity on the forest “is that hen turkeys in the greater landscape appear to be moving onto Goodwin during the nesting season to nest in the young stands (<5 years since harvest). My team has tracked several successful nests and maybe even some broods that made it to the 30-day independence period”. He also provided an update on observed songbird diversity: Kentucky warbler, hooded warbler, yellow-throated vireo, yellow-throated warbler, yellow-breasted chat, yellow-billed cuckoo, black-and-white warbler, prairie warbler, white-eyed vireo and much more.

Hill Forest:

Hill Forest, along with being a teaching laboratory and demonstration forest, also operates by selling recreational permits. The table below shows permit sales over the last decade, which shows that the people used G.W Hill Forest as a great escape during the COVID -19 Number of permits sold during 2020-2021 almost doubled from the previous year.

Current students, faculty and staff, and researchers are not required to purchase permits to hike on the forest, but those of you who would like to support the Hill Forest can find permit information here: https://cnr.ncsu.edu/forest-permits-and-applications-schenck-hill/

If you are interested in utilizing the facilities, please contact Laxmi at ltimils@ncsu.edu, and she can provide the cost sheet, rules and safety information.

Many improvements and repairs have been made at the Hill Forest Slocum facilities in the last two years, including but not limited to:

• Cistern preventative maintenance and water meter install
• 10 roof replacements
• Faculty Cabin remediation, dehumidifiers and roof repairs
• New freezer unit for kitchen
• Internet upgrade
• Cook’s Cabin remodel, floors refinished
• Student cabins: structural pesticide treatment, replace smoke detectors
• Tenant’s cabin: repair of wood stove/ chimney, deck

Hill Forest is certified under the American Tree Farm System and recognized by SFI. The Hill Forest management plan has been updated for 2021-2030 period for this purpose, and will soon be available in the Natural Resources Library.

Hofmann Forest:

Hofmann Timber Deed Endowment topped the $100 million mark on March 31, 2021.