We aim to engage our Forest neighbors, friends, and community members, who recognize how the Duke Forest is more than just the woods. It is a vital resource for global science, regional ecology, and local community. Our supporters are people who take the time to learn about the Forest and endeavor to understand its many gifts and functions. Together, we can broaden the reach of its mission and the quality of its resources for teaching, research, conservation, and community engagement.
Here are just a few things to know about this precious resource:
The Duke Forest is Duke’s biggest laboratory
...for experiential learning and opportunities for big discovery.
As the university’s biggest and oldest outdoor classroom and living laboratory, teaching and research in the Duke Forest has shaped how the world understands forests, contributed to our understanding of climate change, and served as a home base for the ground-breaking research of tomorrow.
The Duke Forest is a vital refuge for nature and people
…anchoring the quality of life in central North Carolina.
The Duke Forest provides countless ecosystem services—like clean water and clean air—to an increasingly urbanizing North Carolina. It is a critical natural resource protecting plants and wildlife and connecting threatened habitats. The Forest is a green oasis, a beloved sanctuary space for health and wellness activities, and a platform for K-12 learning for the local population.
The Duke Forest is part of the Duke DNA
…with a legacy of scientific discovery as old as the university itself.
Since the beginning the Duke Forest and Duke grew together—a premier university with its premier outdoor teaching and research asset. From President Price’s inaugural address: “James B. Duke and William Preston Few… dared to see a university in a near wilderness of pine and pasture.”
A different kind of forest…
…a different kind of support.
The Duke Forest is a perennially giving resource, and its many gifts are ours to steward. Here are five major ways the Forest contributes to our region, to science, and to our lives.
An outdoor classroom and living laboratory inviting students and teachers of all ages, disciplines, and backgrounds.
An environmental education and outreach tool offering opportunities to learn about history, natural resources, and forest management.
An aesthetic and recreational resource for reconnecting with nature.
A responsibly managed working forest demonstrating renewable resource use and best management practices.
A bastion of diverse habitats protecting and connecting plants, wildlife, and ecosystem services.
Join us in taking care of this
treasured forest.