Schenck Memorial Forest is a 245 acre forest located in western Wake County about 10 minutes from the NC State campus. It is managed by NC State as a teaching and research forest to demonstrate the multiple benefits generated by an actively-managed forest.
[singlepic id=283 w=320 h=240 float=right]Schenck Memorial Forest is named for Carl A. Schenck who managed Biltmore Forest and founded the Biltmore Forest School near Asheville, NC the first Forestry School in America. The memorial forest is a outdoor classroom / lab where you can see forestry in action.
Visitors are welcome in the forest and on the trails – unfortunately dogs and bicycles are not so welcome. On our short walk through the edge of the forest on the Frances L. Liles Trail we saw signs of wildlife but nothing overwhelming. There is a picnic shelter less than a 1/4 mile from the entrance that is usable but not well maintained. On the way out I saw a small lizard on the back of one of the signs. He was pretty photogenic. Speaking of photos – more after the jump. Schenck Forest is definitely worth visiting and close enough to Umstead that you can always go over there if 245 acres of woods isn’t enough for you.
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