Beginning in the mid-1920s, Duke University purchased many small farms and interspersed forestland as a buffer and expansion land for a new campus. These tracts, totaling 4,696 acres,
became the Duke Forest in 1931 when they were placed under the stewardship of Dr. Clarence Korstian, the first director of the Duke Forest and dean of the School of Forestry.
Today, the Duke Forest covers more than 7,000 acres of land.
Learn more about the history of the forest from Judd Edeburn, who has served as Duke Forests resource manager for 31 years.
