Tours

A fun way to learn about forestry practices and research projects is to arrange for a personalized tour on Bent Creek Experimental Forest. On-site tours and programs are available to middle, high school and college students, interested adult groups, and professional forest managers and educators and non-profit organization. A tour can be customized according to your group’s knowledge and objectives. On a tour, a staff member will lead the group to locations on the forest to show and describe results of research work. A demonstration forest which shows side-by-side silvicultural treatments is located on the forest and is a favorite tour site. To arrange a tour or to receive additional materials, contact Julia Murphy at 828-667-5261 x104.

A wide range of interested groups ranging from Scout troops to college students to international scientists have visited. Groups come from as close as Asheville and as far away as China. Some groups come back each year. Here is a small sample of tours Bent Creek has conducted over the years.

• North Carolina State – Forestry Students
• University of Tennessee – Forestry Students
• University of North Carolina, Asheville – Environmental Studies Students
• North Carolina Educators – North Carolina Forestry Association
• Congressional Tours
• Cliffs Community – Nature Club
• Silviculturist from Japan

The mission of our training sessions is to provide training that focuses on the principles and practices of silviculture and closely related disciplines, for managing hardwood dominated, upland forests in the Appalachian Mountains and Interior Uplands.

We will provide the tools needed by experienced forest managers to prepare technically sound silvicultural prescriptions.

Bent Creek scientists and fellow researchers have been providing hardwood silvicultural training since 1992. We look forward to our 16th anniversary session in 2006! This one week training is available to state professional foresters and other resource managers. It is held each year in July.

Please contact Julia Murphy at 828-667-5261 extension 104, for further information.

Side-by-side demonstration forest