Location: Reedy Creek Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607

About: Named for the “father of American forestry,” Carl Alwin Schenck, the Carl Alwin Schenck Memorial Forest is an actively managed, multi-use forest. With 286 acres, the forest serves as an outdoor laboratory for a number of academic programs including forestry, botany, mycology, ecology, soils, recreation and wildlife biology. A 50-acre tract of preserved, mature hardwoods west of Richlands Creek is still assigned to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The forest is certified under the American Tree Farm System and recognized by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

Research: Schenck Forest hosts multiple classes and active research projects on tree growth, genetics, hydrology, soils, wildlife and habitat monitoring, among other topics. A teaching arboretum on the property includes native and some non-native species that complement the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science’s Prairie Ridge native species arboretum nearby.

Public Access: The forest is open to the public during daylight hours and patrolled by NC State Campus Police. The public is welcome to visit for hiking, running, orienteering, bird watching and exploring the Braham Arboretum. The Frances L. Liles Trail is most frequently used by the public and passes through a number of sites where a variety of management practices are employed, including those to support different wildlife habitats and encourage specific plants and animals. No dogs, bikes, horses or hunting are permitted on the property.

360-Degree Views of Schenck Forest
Explore select locations in Schenck Forest through interactive 360-degree views that highlight key teaching and research sites.

• Forest Entrance
• Forest Shelter Area
• Forest Thinning Plot
• Natural Plot
• Rope Course
• Rope Course Shelter
• Schenck Forest Shelter

Location: Craven County, North Carolina

About: Located on the north side of Peacock Road, east of Broad Creek Road in eastern Craven County, Broad Creek Property was donated to NC State Natural Resources Foundation, Inc. by the Thomas and Priscilla Terry Living Trust. On the east by Upper Broad Creek, the terrain generally slopes from west to east. The highest elevation, approximately 10 feet, is found in the northwest corner of the property. The 138-acre property includes natural stands of mixed pine and hardwood, as well as areas with planted longleaf and loblolly pine.

Research: Currently, no active research is being conducted on the property, although its potential for future research is being explored. It offers educational opportunities for various forest management practices, including thinning, prescribed burning and herbicide applications.

Public Access: The property is not open to the public but can be accessed with permission from forest managers for specific requests. The land is leased for hunting purposes and does not have any on-site facilities.

Location: Washington County, North Carolina

About: Bull Neck Swamp Research Forest spans 6,118 acres along the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain. The salinity wedge that shifts up and down the sound makes this the only College of Natural Resources forest that may encounter saline water. Sea level rise is already reshaping the landscape, yet a florally unique freshwater marsh still thrives along Deep Creek at the tract’s southern end.

The college’s Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and its Forest Assets Team actively manage this coastal wetland, which includes more than 2,300 acres of preserves and seven miles of undisturbed shoreline. Annual black bear and deer hunting license sales, along with periodic timber sales, generate funding that supports research, management, and student scholarships.

Research: Considerable wildlife research has been conducted on the site in the last decade. Management on the property includes extensive herpetofauna and mammal surveys, bobcat habitat use and movement research, prescribed burning and Atlantic white cedar regeneration. Bald eagles have been seen on the property, and beaver control is necessary to retain the road system and maintain good relations with adjacent agricultural landowners.

Public Access: The property is privately owned and is not open to the public.

Location: Gates County, North Carolina

About: Chowan Swamp covers 3,815 acres along the last major bend of the Chowan River in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain. It forms part of a larger preserve jointly owned by the NC State Natural Resources Foundation, NC State University, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation.

The swamp supports a dynamic network of creeks, wetlands and diverse ecosystems. Abundant wildlife — including alligators — thrives throughout the property, alongside a wide variety of tree species. Atlantic white cedar grows here, though periodic hurricanes have repeatedly toppled stands and left few large trees remaining. But large cypress trees still line the shoreline, anchoring the swamp’s distinctive character.

Research: There is no active research at this time.

Public Access: The property is privately owned and is not open to the public.

Location: Durham County, North Carolina

About: Hill Forest spans 2,690 acres in North Carolina’s Piedmont region. It was established in 1929, born from the vision of Julius Hofmann and a 378-acre land gift from local philanthropist George Watts Hill. Today, the forest supports a wide variety of pine species and hosts a relocation effort for an endangered sumac. Parts of the Flat River flow through the property as well. The forest is certified under the American Tree Farm System and recognized by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

Research: Hill Forest functions as a teaching laboratory and demonstration forest where students identify vegetation, test water quality and soil, manage forestland, conduct surveys, take measurements, and carry out other scientific investigations. Research at Hill Forest has produced more than 15 Ph.D. dissertations, 31 master’s theses, and 23 refereed articles in scientific journals and books.

The forest also hosts Slocum Camp, which each summer trains undergraduate students in the forest management and fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology programs. The camp offers hands-on experiences that build practical skills and deep field knowledge. Three historic buildings constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps remain onsite. Current research includes the Paired Watershed Experiment, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, North Carolina Forest Service, and North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Public Access: Horseback riding, biking, hiking and fishing are allowed with a license or permit. A significant road and trail system allows access. There is monitoring instrumentation onsite, including rain gauges, flow meters, remote automation weather stations and groundwater wells.

Learn more about requesting a permit

Location: Jones and Onslow counties, North Carolina

About: Hofmann Forest spans 79,000 acres on the White Oak Pocosin in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and serves as the source of the White Oak River. The forest combines managed pine plantations, natural pine and hardwood stands, and agricultural fields, offering a living laboratory for research, demonstration and sustainable forest management.

Multiple income streams generated from the property support the College of Natural Resources. In 2016, the college sold a timber deed on 54,000 acres to Resource Management Service, LLC (RMS), generating returns from timber deed investments that help ensure consistent annual income to the college.

RMS collaborates with the college’s Forest Assets Team to actively manage the property, and portions overseen by RMS carry Sustainable Forestry Initiative certification. The surrounding landscape remains largely agricultural, particularly in Jones County, though urban development is expanding, especially on the southwest side near the growing city of Jacksonville.

Research: Since 1934, Hofmann Forest has supported research on genetic trials, seedling nutrition, water quality, and black bear and white-tailed deer populations. The site features rain gauges, groundwater wells and automated weather stations, and it also hosts a National Atmospheric Deposition Program monitoring station.

Public Access: The property is privately owned and is not open to the public. NC State groups can use the forest for research, demonstration projects and educational visits. For details, please contact Sam Cook, executive director of forest assets.

Location: Franklin County, North Carolina

About: Hosley Forest covers 254 acres in North Carolina’s Piedmont region. Originally worn-out farmland perched on the bluffs above Shocco Creek — a tributary of the Tar River — the property began its transformation in 1984 when Wilfred Hosley planted pine trees. Ten years later, he donated the forest to the College of Natural Resources.

Today, Hosley Forest features two main vegetation types: planted loblolly pine stands and mixed bottomland-to-upland hardwoods. Vernal pools dot the landscape, providing critical habitat, while Shocco Creek supports endangered mussels, including the Tar spiny mussel and the dwarf wedge mussel. Conservation easements protect most neighboring tracts, safeguarding water quality and the forest’s ecological integrity.

Research: There is no active research at this time, but the site has significant potential. Opportunities include studying the eradication of invasive species through silvicultural operations, the effects of those operations on endangered mussels downstream, the impacts and stewardship needs associated with commercial ATV access and practices for sound hardwood forest management in the Southeast.

Public Access: The property is privately owned and is not open to the public.

Location: Moore County, North Carolina,

About: The James Goodwin Forest spans 1,410 acres on the northern edge of North Carolina’s Sandhills region. Nearly 1,100 acres of plantation pine generate annual economic returns that fund multiple undergraduate scholarships at the College of Natural Resources.

Another 100 acres feature longleaf pine. While red-cockaded woodpeckers are not present on the property, there are known clusters nearby. Killets Creek borders the forest to the east, and the surrounding landscape is largely forested, with scattered agricultural and residential tracts.

Certified under the American Tree Farm System and recognized by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the forest was originally exhausted farmland. Former owner James L. Goodwin, a Yale-trained forester, reforested the land with pine seedlings, transforming it into a productive and sustainable working forest.

Research: There is no active research at this time, but the forest provides educational opportunities in sound southern pine management — including thinning, herbicide use and prescribed burning — as well as longleaf restoration in borderline sandhills and spacing trials.

Public Access: The property is privately owned and is not open to the public.

Location: Johnston County, North Carolina

About: The Julius B. Lee Experimental Forest spans 130 acres in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain. When the College of Natural Resources acquired the property in 2007, its original trees had been cleared. The college immediately planted a 10-acre former pasture with loblolly pine, while the remaining acreage naturally regenerated into mixed pine-hardwood stands.

The forest surrounds two abandoned hog lagoons to the south, and a tributary of Little Creek flows along the base of the bluff where the lagoons sit, linking the landscape’s ecological and hydrological features.

Research: The forest is extensively used for undergraduate and graduate work in projects monitoring the surface and subsurface movement of lagoon constituents into the forest’s surface waters. Students studying environmental forensics regularly visit the forest.

Public Access: The property is privately owned and is not open to the public.

Location: Nash County, North Carolina

About: Taylor/Holt Forest spans 118 acres across two tracts on the border of North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions. Oma Taylor gifted the forest to the College of Natural Resources in 2007, requesting that it continue to support the college’s students by operating as an income-producing agricultural and tree farm whenever economically feasible.

Most of the property is planted with loblolly pine, but the Nash County tracts feature six acres leased for organic farming, five acres of thinned natural sweetgum regeneration, and a half-acre of upland oaks preserved for wildlife.

Research: The southern tract contains an active tip-moth control study.

Public Access: The property is privately owned and is not open to the public, though it is leased for agriculture and does permit seasonal hunting by reservation.

Location: Person County, North Carolina

About: Timaca Forest covers 100 acres in North Carolina’s Piedmont region and contains the headwaters of the Tar River. After the College of Natural Resources acquired the property, it harvested and replanted loblolly pine while preserving mature hardwoods along the streams. An old home site, once heavily overrun with Chinese wisteria, remains on the property. Surrounding lands are primarily used for forestry and agriculture.

Research: There is no active research at this time.

Public Access: The property is privately owned and is not open to the public.

Location: 1509 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606

About: Lonnie Poole Golf Course and Clubhouse was designed by Arnold Palmer and his team, including NC State graduates Erik Larsen and Brandon Johnson. The 18-hole public course offers stunning views of the Raleigh skyline and the award-winning Centennial Campus. Each hole combines thoughtful design with the natural landscape to challenge players and showcase the beauty of the property.

The golf course hosts both the men’s and women’s varsity golf teams and exemplifies the evolution of golf course design toward sustainability. In 2013, it earned Signature Sanctuary Certification from Audubon International by meeting strict environmental standards. The course takes full advantage of Raleigh’s dramatic elevation changes and winds through large buffer areas preserved to protect natural streams and wetlands.

Research: Lonnie Poole Golf Course and Clubhouse functions as a teaching and research facility for students in the professional golf management program, featuring a swing analysis laboratory with the latest club fitting and instructional technology. The course also supports turfgrass and stormwater research through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as studies in crop science, horticulture, entomology, fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology and plant pathology. Faculty use the course to teach students how to balance wildlife conservation, habitat enhancement, and environmental stewardship with the economics, operations, and practicalities of running a golf course.

Public Access: Lonnie Poole Golf Course and Clubhouse is open to the public for tee times, private instruction, group clinics, dining and events.

Location: 110 Brooks Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607

About: Turner House Garden was designed by horticultural science students and installed in 2008 by faculty and students from the College of Natural Resources’ fisheries, wildlife, and conservation biology program. This 0.10-acre garden features only native plants, with many selected for their appeal to wildlife.

Visitors can follow the garden’s walking paths to see identification markers for numerous plants. Approximately 80 bird species and over 20 butterfly species have been recorded in the garden. Both the horticultural science and forestry and environmental resources departments use the garden to teach wildlife-friendly cultivation techniques.

Public Access: The garden welcomes visitors seven days a week, though the Brooks Parking Lot is restricted to permit holders during weekday working hours.

More Information: 360-Degree Views of Turner House
View interactive 360-degree views of the entrance and garden.

• Front entrance
• Garden

Location: 411 Dan Allen Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607

About: Hodges Wood Products Lab houses 21,000 square feet of production woodworking equipment, testing machines and instruments for studying the physical and mechanical properties of wood. The lab includes:

• Kilns
• A CNC molder and router
• Finishing room
• Hot presses for making plywood, particleboard and fiberboard
• Four universal and several other testing machines
• Conditioning chambers
• A wide range of production woodworking equipment

Public Access: The lab is not open to the public, but it does offer industry testing services. If interested, please contact Hodges Tech Services at (919) 515-2850 or wp_18_techservices@ncsu.edu.

Location: Robertson Wing of Biltmore Hall, 2820 Faucette Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607

About: The Robertson Pulp and Paper Laboratory Complex offers over 100,000 square feet of facilities and equipment to support teaching and research in the Department of Forest Biomaterials. The complex lets students develop and test new materials while gaining hands-on experience in real-world industry conditions.

Research: The complex provides facilities and equipment for research on chemical and mechanical pulping, bleaching, fiber recycling, papermaking and pulp processing. It also supports paper testing for strength, stress resistance, durability and other factors, along with a wide range of analytical services.

Public Access: The laboratory complex is not open to the public.

The College of Natural Resources operates several research-focused greenhouses across campus, including locations at Partners II, Ligon Street and Method Road. These greenhouses support ongoing forestry and plant science research. Although they are not open to the public, they play a crucial role in advancing scientific discovery and hands-on learning.