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r- <br /> APPENDIX 3: <br /> DUKE FOREST NATURAL AREAS <br /> Location: Durham and Orange Counties, North Carolina; Chapel Hill, Southwest <br /> Durham and Hillsborough 7.5 min. USGS topographic quad maps, All of <br /> the nine areas are in the Piedmont Geologic Province, Piedmont Upland <br /> Section, Western Carolina Slate Belt Region and in2the Piedmont Lowland <br /> Section, Deep River-Durham-Wadesboro Basin Region. (See maps 1-5) . <br /> Ownership: Duke University; administered by the School of Forestry and <br /> Environmental Studies. <br /> Lanese: Natural Areas - Duke Forest, separated into six managerial and ten <br /> geographical divisions, is accessible to the public for hiking, horseback <br /> riding, picnicking, and similar recreation. Duke University specifically <br /> uses the forest for educational and scientific purposes, including forest <br /> management training and biological/ecological research. More than 400 <br /> graduate theses in forestry, plant and animal ecology have been written on <br /> the basis of research done in the Forest. The forest was a research site <br /> for the International Biological Program for 10 years. <br /> Surrounding Areas - Land usage in the region surrounding the various tracts <br /> that compose this complex of natural areas is highly variable and is changing <br /> continually. What was once a predominantly rural landscape is rapidly being <br /> converted to . low and high density residential developments with associated <br /> commercial urbanization. <br /> Designation Process: A multi-year resource inventory and multiple-use management <br /> planning process for Duke Forest has resulted in nomination by the Duke <br /> Forest Resources Manager and Duke School of Forestry and Environmental <br /> Studies of nine areas for inclusion in the North Carolina Registry of <br /> Natural Heritage Areas (Edeburn 1981) . <br /> Current management goals of the Duke Forest include the following (Edeburn 1980) : <br /> 1. To provide and maintain an adequate cross-section of Piedmont <br /> vegetation, timber stands, habitats and study areas suitable for <br /> " study by a varied set of disciplines including forestry, botany, <br /> zoology, ecology, anthropology, hydrology, and so forth; <br /> 2. To assure protection and longterm existence of various natural <br /> features, including unique flora, fauna, and associated habitats; <br /> 3. To provide adequate records and information relating to the natural <br /> resources base, management activities and research and teaching <br /> areas in order that vital documentation will exist for future <br /> research and educational activities; <br /> 4. To provide, as consistent with the above objectives, an important <br /> "green space" for the surrounding community in which non-consumptive <br /> recreational activities may take place and appreciation for the <br /> natural environment may be nurtured. <br /> 1Compiled by Charles Roe, Coordinator, N.C. Natural Heritage Prrgra:_, <br /> Department of Natural Resources and Community Development, Division of Parks <br /> and Recreation, P.O. Box 27687, Raleigh, NC 27611. (3607911 ) (3507888) . <br /> 2 <br /> Nomenclature taken from Harrington, Charles, 1980. Geomorphic Classifi- <br /> cation System for the Natural Heritage Program. Department of Marine, Earth <br /> and Atmospheric Sciences, N.C. State University, Raleigh, N.C. <br /> lir <br />