List of North Carolina state forests

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The State of North Carolina has a group of twelve protected areas known as State Forests which are managed by the North Carolina Forest Service, an agency of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The seven of the state forests are known as State Educational Forests, and they are primarily used to educate the public about the forest environment, forestry and forest management. One state forest, DuPont, was designated as a State Recreational Forest in recognition of its high recreational value and use. Most of the state forests provide recreational facilities for hiking and picnicking.

Contents

North Carolina state forests

NameRegionCountiesSizePublic Access
Backbone Ridge State Forest Caldwell 476 acres (1.93 km2)
Bladen Lakes State Forest Bladen 32,700 acres (132 km2)
Clemmons Educational State Forest Johnston, Wake 825 acres (3.34 km2) [1]
DuPont State Recreational Forest Henderson, Transylvania 10,473 acres (42.38 km2) [1] [2]
Gill State Forest Avery 474 acres (1.92 km2) [3]
Headwaters State Forest Transylvania 6,730 acres (27.2 km2) [4]
Holmes Educational State Forest Henderson 235 acres (0.95 km2) [1]
Jordan Lake Educational State Forest Chatham 900 acres (3.6 km2) [1]
Mountain Island Educational State Forest Lincoln, Gaston 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) [1]
Rendezvous Mountain State Forest [Note 1] [5] Wilkes 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) [5]
Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest Bladen 890 acres (3.6 km2) [1]
Tuttle Educational State Forest Caldwell 288 acres (1.17 km2) [1]

See also

Notes

  1. Most of Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest was transferred to the state park system in 2022. The 1,500-acre (6.1 km2) Little Fork tract was retained by the Forest Service, and it is leased to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission as a public game land.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">DuPont State Forest</span>

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Clemmons Educational State Forest (CESF) is a 825-acre (3.34 km2) North Carolina State Forest in Clayton. It is North Carolina's first educational state forest, and it is operated by the North Carolina Forest Service. The site features self-guided nature trails with audio exhibit stations, the Forestry Exhibit Center with interactive exhibits about the ecology of forests, soil, water, wildlife and the state's cultural history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Lake Educational State Forest</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holmes Educational State Forest</span>

Holmes Educational State Forest (HESF) is a 235-acre (0.95 km2) state forest, located in Henderson County, North Carolina. It is near the much larger DuPont State Recreational Forest, which is responsible for its management. The forest is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and it has rugged terrain with a mixture of hardwood forest, rhododendron, and flame azalea.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuttle Educational State Forest</span>

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Headwaters State Forest is a 6,730-acre (27.2 km2) state forest, located in Transylvania County, North Carolina, along the South Carolina state line and is part of a larger 100,000+ acre conservation corridor that stretches some 80 miles along the state line. The name originates from the fact that the forest contains the headwaters of East Fork of the French Broad River. The North Carolina Forest Service primarily manages the forest for water and soil quality, as well as protecting rare species; however, primitive recreational uses are permitted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected areas of North Carolina</span> North Carolina protected areas

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "NC Forest Service Natural Assets" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. January 23, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  2. "DuPont State Recreational Forest Fiscal Year 2014 Legislative Report" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. October 1, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  3. "Gill State Forest Water Resources Restoration Master Plan" (HTML). North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. March 3, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  4. "Headwaters State Forest" (HTML). North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Hubbard, Jule (July 10, 2022). "Matheson named Rendezvous superintendent". North Wilkesboro: Wilkes Journal-Patriot. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.