The Duke Forest receives significant recreational use by students, faculty and staff of the University, as well as local community members. Some studies have been conducted to assess the pressures of these uses on the Forest and its resources. Based on such studies, a strict set of guidelines and rules regarding recreation and maintenance of aesthetics has been established for the Forest.
To maintain the aesthetic value of the Forest, several management techniques are used. These include the following: harvesting of irregularly shaped areas along topographic contours; prescribed burns to remove dense understory; buffer or screening techniques to limit visibility of areas being site prepared; and use of seed tree or shelterwood regeneration systems in high visibility areas.
More information concerning recreation on the Forest can be found in the recreation section of this Web site.