Forest Environment >> Introduction
The Duke Forest lies near the eastern edge of the North Carolina Piedmont plateau and supports a cross section of the woodlands typical of the lower Piedmont of the Southeast. A variety of timber types, plant species, soils, topography and past land use conditions are represented. The wide variety of available species and habitats makes Duke Forest an ideal place to conduct research and teaching activities.
Evidence of Past Inhabitants:
A significant proportion of the Forest's vegetation reflects its former use as farmland by previous owners. Poor farming techniques and soil-depleting crops resulted in overworked and eroded fields that were no longer productive. Many of these fields were abandoned and subsequently developed into pine forests via natural succession or planting. However, evidence of past use can still be seen where the forest floor reveals old gullies and traces of furrows from the last corn and tobacco crops.
For more information about the ecology of the Duke Forest, see the menu items to the left.
