NC State Endowment Board Signs $150 Million Hofmann Forest Agreement

Posted on October 29, 2013 by

The Board of Trustees for the Endowment Fund of NC State University has agreed to terms for the sale of Hofmann Forest – a move that will pave the way for unprecedented investments in students, faculty, research and extension in the College of Natural Resources (CNR) and continued access for students and faculty.

Jerry Walker, manager of the purchaser, has signed an agreement to buy the 79,000-acre property near Jacksonville, NC for $150 million. Walker is a third-generation agri-businessman who runs the family’s multi-state agriculture business based in Illinois.

Proceeds from the sale will be placed in an endowment with the annual return of interest benefitting the College of Natural Resources, in keeping with the intent of the original deed gifted to the Endowment Fund in 1977 by the private non-profit Forestry Foundation (now known as the Natural Resources Foundation). The benefit to CNR is estimated to be $6 million annually, which is more than three times the current annual yield from the forest.

The purchase agreement also indicates the buyer’s intent to address additional objectives set by the Natural Resources Foundation, which include access for students and faculty to conduct research, preserving the legacy by keeping the Hofmann name, and maintaining a working forest on the property.

“The income generated annually by the investment of the sale proceeds will provide tremendous educational and research opportunities for the College of Natural Resources and its students,” said NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson.

“As an asset, the forest’s full potential was not being realized,” Woodson added. “We have an obligation to our stakeholders – our students, faculty, staff and alumni – to ensure our colleges are positioned to provide a robust academic environment that attracts world-class faculty and the best and brightest students.”

Additional resources generated by the endowment will go toward promoting growth in research and academic offerings within CNR, and making progress toward the college’s mission and strategic plan, which includes transforming the college into the go-to leader for solutions to natural resource challenges across the state, nation and around the globe.

“We’re confident the resulting impact from Doc Hofmann’s legacy will be nothing short of transformational for our college,” said CNR Dean Mary Watzin. “CNR’s vision is to be a world leader among universities that are creating healthier and more sustainable communities.” The transaction will not affect the existing zoning of the property which permits its use for timber and agricultural purposes, the preservation of the two existing wetlands or the existing lease for Onslow County’s Deppe Park.

In addition, the purchase agreement recognizes the Department of Defense’s interest in obtaining an easement from the purchaser that would ensure long-term protection for approximately 70,000 acres of the property and formalize the military’s long-standing interest in the conservation of the property.

“Hofmann Forest is a wonderful property with a long and storied connection to the communities of Eastern North Carolina, and we are committed to preserving that legacy going forward,” said Walker. “We look forward to working with our military neighbors on a plan for maintaining the primary use of the land for timber and agriculture purposes.”

Additional Background •Hofmann Forest was purchased by the North Carolina Forestry Foundation, Inc. in 1934, later named the Natural Resources Foundation. The Foundation gifted the land to the NC State Endowment Fund in 1977 for the benefit of the College of Natural Resources.

•About 56,000 of the forest’s 79,000 acres function as a working forest. Other activities at the forest include agriculture, hunt clubs and an Onslow County park.

•There are approximately 1400 undergraduate students in the College of Natural Resources, including about 80 in the forestry program, and over 400 graduate students in the College’s MS and Ph.D. programs. The vast majority of the college’s outdoor education is conducted currently at Hill Forest and Schenck Forest.

•More than 98 percent of sponsored forestry research in the college is currently conducted at sites outside the Hofmann Forest (around the state and across the world).

•The income generated from Hofmann, similar to other forests, has produced a relatively low return on market value and subject to fluctuations in demand for houses. In fiscal 2012, Hofmann generated a net income of approximately $861,000 to support the college. With a 4% spending policy, the $150 million generated from the sale would result in $6 million in annual support to CNR.

Media Contact: Fred Hartman | | 919.515.7159

Just ask the animals!

Posted on October 17, 2013 by

Using animal tracking data to better predict animals’ use of natural movement corridors through urban lansdcapes.

Using GPS transmitters and cameras, Scott LaPoint documented the movements of fishers. Photo: © Roland Kays, NC State University

A new study, published this week by Dr. Roland Kays, a professor in CNR and director of the Biodiversity Lab at the NC Museum of Sciences with colleagues from Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, used small GPS devices to track the weasel-like fisher through suburban Albany, NY.

The study found that fishers will use movement corridors outside of their usual habitat preferences, and make use of culverts to cross roads.

The report, “Animal Behavior, Cost-based Corridor Models, and Real Corridors,” appeared in the October issue of Landscape Ecology – http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10980-013-9910-0

Learn more about what they discovered and see videos @ http://natsci.mu/78

Are we building our way to ruin?

Posted on October 15, 2013 by

The Housing Bomb: Why Our Addiction to Houses Is Destroying the Environment and Threatening Our Society

NC State’s Nils Peterson explores the environmental and societal impact of the modern subdivision.

Are we building our way to ruin? That’s the premise of a provocatively titled new book released this month: The Housing Bomb: Why Our Addiction to Houses Is Destroying the Environment and Threatening Our Society.

Lead author Dr. Nils Peterson, associate professor of fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology in NC State’s College of Natural Resources, focuses his research on the intersections between human and natural systems, including the modern subdivision.

For an insider’s look at The Housing Bomb, check out this interview with Dr. Peterson in The Abstract.

Slow Burn: Fall Foliage Taking Its Time

Posted on October 3, 2013 by

Fall Color at Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest

One good place in North Carolina to see spectacular fall color is Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest in Wilkes County

No, it’s not another sign of the federal government shutdown. North Carolina’s hardwood trees are taking their time to change colors this fall because of a low-stress growing season that included plenty of moisture and mild temperatures, a North Carolina State University expert says.

“Growing conditions have been good, so trees have postponed shutting down the food factories in their leaves,” says Dr. Robert Bardon, forestry and environmental resources professor. “I expect the fall colors will arrive a little bit later than usual.”

While the federal closures mean that leaf peepers won’t be able to check National Park Service websites or use the visitor centers on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Bardon says it’s still possible to map out a spectacular fall foliage tour. “Through our state and local governments, we have access to a lot of information. We can still enjoy the colors.”

The North Carolina Forest Service is open for business, along with eight educational state forests across the state. Both are keeping their websites updated with information for visitors. Check http://www.ncforestservice.gov/ or http://www.ncesf.org/ for the latest conditions.

Two of Bardon’s scenic picks are Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Park in Wilkes County and Merchant Mills Pond State Park in Gates County. The earliest color displays will be at high-elevation sites like Mount Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain.

“The nice thing about our state is that we have a wider window for fall colors because of our topography,” says Bardon, who leads extension programs in the College of Natural Resources. “Color moves gradually across the state from mountains to coast, giving us plenty of opportunities to enjoy the foliage.”

Yellow and orange leaves come from carotenoids, the pigments that give carrots and sweet potatoes their color. Anthocyanin provides rich reds later in the growing season as nighttime temperatures fall. Both pigments are present in leaves, but during the growing season they’re overshadowed by bright green chlorophyll, Bardon says.

Media Contacts: Dr. Robert Bardon, 919/515-5575 or rebardon@ncsu.edu
D’Lyn Ford, News Services, 919/513-4798 or dcford@ncsu.edu

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