WNC Sierra Club requests the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees to continue protection of the 45 acres of urban woods on its campus. The Woods maintain flora and fauna. They help protect against the rising Heat Sink that our city is developing. Asheville loses tree canopy each year and with the devastation of Helene, we are estimated to have lost 40%.

We strongly recommend that UNCA continue protecting this valuable property.

Asheville GreenWorks is alarmed and saddened by recently disclosed plans for the

development of the UNC-Asheville urban forest and we are strongly opposed to the destruction

of this unique forest remnant. Asheville GreenWorks’ vision is to create a climate-resilient

community for all and protecting and restoring Asheville’s urban tree canopy is an essential part

of making that vision a reality.

The 45 acres of urban forest that are threatened by UNCA and the Board of Regents are an

essential part of our community: they are one of the last remnants of intact forest within

Asheville and an irreplaceable host for animal and plant life in our urban core. The woods also

have a much greater capacity than any individual tree or engineered replacement to mitigate

stormwater runoff, aid in carbon sequestration, and mitigate urban heat and air pollution. Losing

this space would be a tragedy in any year, but it is especially so in the wake of Helene and the

long-term damage the storm did to Western North Carolina.

The estimates of Helene-related damage and loss impacting Asheville’s urban tree canopy are

staggering. As an organization, we have spent significant time and effort since the storm

devoted to reforesting our city and county. It is incredibly disheartening to see UNCA and the

Board of Regents eagerly moving to eliminate such a large area of forest at a time when so

many in our community are spending their time, energy, and resources to reforest in the

aftermath of Helene.

The benefits provided to our city and its residents by this diverse patch of mature trees cannot

be matched by young, recently planted trees even though tree planting is a vital part of

counterbalancing the damage caused to our urban tree canopy by Helene. It would take

decades of careful protection and stewardship, coupled with favorable weather, for any trees

planted now to reach the same size as the ones currently standing in the UNCA woods and the

biodiversity that would be lost by cutting the woods will never be recovered.

Urban green spaces are increasingly rare - threatened by climate change, development, and

other mechanisms of destruction - and we must protect these spaces and our access to them as a piece of our community’s commitment to environmental justice. The voice of the community is clear: the UNCA woods must be preserved. Asheville GreenWorks is proud to support the many organizations and individuals who are committed to protecting our urban green spaces and the rights that we all have to share in these spaces.

The Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter urges UNCA to protect their urban woods, which provide important wildlife and bird habitat. This urban woodland has been shown to host over 100 bird species and includes the nesting sites for Great Horned Owls and Red-shouldered Hawks. Additionally, as an increasingly rare urban woodland, this forest plays a crucial role in providing relief from urban heat-sinks that exacerbate the effects of a warming climate on urban areas and their inhabitants--including both birds and humans . 

The University of North Carolina-Asheville has been a key partner with the Asheville community and Blue Ridge Audubon for many years now, and our community has benefitted from both your partnerships with local businesses and organizations and from UNCA graduates bringing new entrepreneurship and industry to the local area.  By and large, this added commerce has been able to find a synthesis of creating local job opportunities while affording protection of our natural resources. It would be a shame if UNCA now squandered this community's goodwill by yielding to pressure to push short-term development at the expense of its long-term reputation for community stewardship. We urge the Chancellor to reconsider development and commit to protecting these woods.

The students of UNC Asheville and community members call on the administration of UNC Asheville to halt its development of the “woods”. The “woods” in question is the 45 acre property owned by the university in Vivian Avenue and 220 W.T. Weaver Boulevard. In a turbulent political climate filled with federal cuts to D.E.I initiatives and all sorts of programs at universities, the plans to develop the “woods” only add salt to the wound. Students, staff, and community members are all overwhelmed and worn out by the insanity and chaos caused by the current presidential administration. For decades, students, professors and community members alike have enjoyed all the benefits that the “woods” provide. UNCA professors conduct research in the “woods” area with their students. Children in the community can recall countless hours spent playing in the “woods”. The students, adults and elderly folks find a safe space to walk, run and exercise along with their pets. The plans to develop the “woods” come at such an erroneous time just after the devastation of Hurricane Helene. It is estimated that almost 40% of the woods in Asheville were wiped out by the hurricane and the community is still recovering post-Helene. The “woods” are the last urban woods in Asheville that provide many ecological services to the organisms and humans such as a buffer for tropical storms and a filtration system. Urban forests, like the “woods” cool down the city amidst rising temperatures caused by global warming. Without the “woods” it's very likely the next hurricane will be much more devastating than Helene. Preserving the “woods” would demonstrate UNCA’s commitment to sustainability which can be found on the website of the universities.

Full Statement: Spring 2025 UNCA Student Organization Open Letter to the UNCA Administration 

Our hope remains that the space is left substantially undisturbed and that careful steps to protect the habitats of our wild residents are considered and facilitated as much as possible. Or, as one of our UNC-system alumni phrased it, “There may be a solution that is still lucrative and beneficial to the university that does not further alienate UNCA from Asheville at large and irreparably tarnish its reputation and perception, but we will never know if we cannot have an honest dialogue.” So, while we hear that the University seeks to empower and strengthen student success in any development plans/ideas, this “student success” and “benefit” is completely overshadowed if student voices, including our alumni, are not taken seriously into account. Ultimately, this resolution comes from a genuine place of wanting to foster improved communication, transparency, and understanding between our diverse community and University leaders so we can create a mutually beneficial and environmentally conscious path forward. Thus, we sincerely hope our continued pleas as representative voices of the student body are heeded and respected as conversations progress in the coming weeks lest members of our community and the wildlife of this forest be disregarded and/or callously harmed.
Full UNCA Student Government Association Resolution 

Asheville's Chapter of the Feminist Bird Club urges UNCA to protect their urban woods, which provide important wildlife and bird habitat. Over the last 20 years, a friend of The Woods, an avid birder, has recorded over 100 resident, migratory, and seasonal birds in these woods. All are now threatened by the university's plans to clear the woods for the development. We urge the Chancellor to reconsider development and commit to protecting these woods.

As an organization whose interest is in the natural world and environmental issues, with a foundation based in science, Blue Ridge Naturalist Network decries the destruction of an urban forest for a soccer stadium. And while Asheville needs more housing, we do not need “market-rate” housing but rather affordable housing for our neighbors who are being priced out of Asheville.

In addition, The climate impacts of the property's development, especially in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, will deal serious blow to Asheville’s green spaces and our native trees and plants. We ask UNCA to save the woods.

Mountain Voices Alliance strongly urges UNCA decision makers to give serious reconsideration to the proposed development of the urban forested area in our community. While the University might see short-term financial gains, the countless species of existing flora and fauna impacted by the destruction will be forever. In addition, the neighborhoods, residents, students, faculty and staff will lose a much beloved natural treasure. Sadly, urban forests have become an endangered species in their own right - and in the wake of the recent destruction/damage to tens of thousands of trees in Asheville/Buncombe county due to Hurricane Helene, our loss has already been monumental. And last, but definitely not least, can we please consider the climate crisis that is only accelerating with every forest - large or small - that is destroyed? There are countless beneficial reasons for this forest to remain intact. Can we say the same for the proposed demolition and development? There must be a solution that could be a win-win. Taking the time to consider thoughtful alternatives could yield meaningful results.

As a proud neighborhood bar rooted in the heart of 5 Points, we at Little Jumbo strongly urge UNCA to protect the irreplaceable urban woods that help define the unique character and livability of our community. These woods are more than just trees—they are a vital wildlife and bird habitat, a cherished green space, and a key part of the neighborhood’s identity and charm. The university’s proposed development threatens not only this fragile ecosystem, but also the sense of place that makes this area special.

Beyond the potential loss of this invaluable natural asset, we also anticipate increased traffic congestion and parking challenges associated with the development. As a local business deeply invested in the well-being of our neighborhood, we respectfully call on the Chancellor, Board of Trustees, and Board of Regents as well as the North Carolina General Assembly to commit to preserving one of Asheville’s last remaining urban forests for the benefit of our environment, the spirit of our neighborhood, and the future of our city.

Asheville Jazz Collective was happy to play a musical benefit to help save the UNCA woods. It was our way to show our support for this vital community resource. We respect all of the people involved and were honored to lend our talents to help raise funds for this cause. Chancellor Van Noort, please take the finality of this decision into account: once the forest is gone; it’s gone. 

Representing one of Asheville’s oldest communities, the Five Points Neighborhood Association is deeply invested in preserving the unique character and environmental integrity of our area. The UNCA woods, located within our neighborhood, is one of the last urban forests in Asheville. It represents the southern terminus of a crucial wildlife corridor from the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a vital green space, a living classroom, and a cherished public good. 

These 45 acres of woods absorb millions of gallons of stormwater per year and are a heat sink reducing the urban heat island effect for our city. They are home to bears and trillium, box turtles and great horned owls. At least one hundred species of birds have been observed in the woods. The woods are a refuge and a sanctuary. The devastation of Tropical Storm Helene graphically illustrated to all of us here the key necessity of protecting our tree canopy to buffer against further climate catastrophe.

We recognize the forest's role in supporting biodiversity, offering educational opportunities, and providing a natural respite for citizens and students alike. The proposed development threatens to disrupt all of these benefits, replacing a mature ecosystem with development that could instead be situated on already-cleared land owned by UNCA.

We urge UNCA to utilize alternative development sites that do not compromise the ecological and social value of the woods. Preserving this precious and irreplaceable community treasure aligns with UNCA’s own stated commitments to ecological stewardship, Asheville’s tree canopy goal, and the interests of a broad coalition of stakeholders– students, faculty, and community members.

The Tree Protection Task Force (TPTF) for Asheville and Buncombe County is opposed to the development of the 45-acre property at the corner of W.T. Weaver Boulevard and Broadway on the UNC Asheville campus.  This property is one of the largest and last remaining intact urban forests within city limits and as such, has significant value to locals, UNC Asheville students and professors, and is a visible component of the city’s proclamation as a Tree City USA.  In addition, the parcel provides ecosystem services at a cost that would be prohibitive to duplicate by human-made technologies.
Opinion in Asheville Citizen Times: UNC Asheville urban forest must be preserved as a living laboratory 

Humans need green spaces, in particular forests.  It would be a tragic mistake for UNCA to clear cut their mature, precious urban forest. It is a place of refuge for students, faculty, community and of course all the critters that have called it home for decades. Aside from the blow to local environmental resilience that clear cutting this forest would cause, forests provide real, proven health benefits to humans. Please, UNCA, come to your senses. Literally. Come sit in the forest. Smell, Listen, Touch. Honor what makes UNCA special. Let's find another, healthier, more sane solution. 

Firestorm Books joins community members in calling on UNCA to stop all development within its 45-acre woodlands. In this time of climate disaster, we recognize the interconnectedness of Asheville's urban forests with public lands under threat from the Trump administration, and the ongoing loss of wild urban spaces throughout our region, including Atlanta's Weelaunee Forest and Sarasota's Uplands Preserve. The proposed stadium and "market-rate" housing do not embody UNCA's core values of  innovation and sustainability. Meanwhile, moving forward over the objections of students, faculty, and neighbors would do irreparable harm to the resilience and health of our city, as well as UNCA's institutional reputation.

Personally, I am sad to see the woods threatened. I have many wonderful memories of running and relaxing in that beautiful tract of accessible and forested public land. 

I understand many of the pressures facing UNCA. It is my hope that the County and City may be able to partner with UNCA, to find creative and collaborative solutions. It would be great if we could work together towards greater preservation, benefitting the broader community, while also helping the university meet their goals. 

That kind of teamwork requires not only a willingness, but a commitment to collaboration, and I know many of my colleagues share that sentiment. 

Sacred Poetry Circle supports preserving the woods at UNC Asheville.  This 45 acre urban forest is a vital part of our community providing natural habitat needed by people and wildlife alike.  We were honored to invite poets and community members alike into the woods for our Poetry for the Woods event to express why preserving these spaces is so important.  Poets read poetry inspired by our universal connection to nature.  Our community needs ongoing access to urban forests to keep the spirit of creativity and inspiration alive within us.  We need the woods to feel soft soil underfoot and gentle breeze upon the skin, to hear the harmony of birdsongs, to see the wonder of sunshine casting beams of light through a canopy of swaying leaves. Being held within nature is core to our experience as humans.  Now we need to hold nature, tend to her wellbeing, by preserving these precious woods.

To Those Who Hold the Power,

We at Neng Jr's feel compelled to add to the chorus of Ashevillians demanding we collectively save to the UNCA woods.

A handful of our team are current and former residents of the 5 Points neighborhood, and the woods hold a special place in our hearts and minds. We have lived in harmony with the woods for decades, and find inspiration and solace there on a near daily basis. The pileated woodpeckers, wild strawberries, and trilliums have been annual touchstones for our life here in Asheville. We cannot imagine life without these woods.

UNCA’s proposed development of this area falls in line with the gross destruction of wild urban landscape we see running rampant in the US today, from the Weelaunee Forest in North Georgia to the Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, and everywhere in between.

Combined with the high percentage of tree cover damage after Hurricane Helene, the intentional destruction of these woods will negatively affect air quality, biodiversity, carbon sequestration efforts, and general mental health and wellness for the Asheville community. Short term financial gain will never be more important than the preservation of the wood's cherished ecosystem.

Please reconsider your plans.

Align Asheville Statement on UNCA Woods Preservation

As healthcare practitioners deeply rooted in the Asheville community, we at Align Asheville join our neighbors in urging UNCA to make the only right choice to protect the irreplaceable 45-acre urban forest that serves as one of our city's last remaining woodland sanctuaries.

Our work centers on healing—restoring balance to the bodies entrusted to our care. These woods also provide essential healing functions, providing a therapeutic resource freely to all members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay for healthcare or travel to distant natural areas. With our forested lands already so severely affected by the hurricane, protecting this remaining woodland is not just environmental stewardship—though this is enough—it's preventive medicine for our entire community. 

Animal welfare and its importance to the whole is another deep value we hold as an organization, and we want institutions in our town who value this as well. The biodiversity, the mature canopy, the intricate web of life that has developed over decades there—all of this would be lost forever. No amount of future tree planting could replace what would be eliminated, and this is heartbreaking. 

As a practice committed to the health of our community, including the animals who live here, we recognize that protecting these woods is protecting the essence of what it means to live in Asheville. We urge UNCA's leadership to find another way to continue development, in a place and way that doesn’t destroy the very land that makes their school and our mountains so special.

At Echoes of the Forest, we believe that the heart of Asheville lies in its vibrant ecosystems, majestic forests, and the communities that unite to protect them. Today, we proudly stand with Save the Woods, a grassroots organization unwavering in its dedication to preserving the natural treasures that make Asheville so extraordinary.

The preservation of urban forests is not merely an environmental effort—it is a commitment to the well-being of our community and future generations. Save the Woods shares our deep-seated values of environmental stewardship and community engagement, proving that when individuals come together, they can create powerful solutions to the challenges facing our natural world.

We commend Save the Woods for their grassroots efforts to protect Asheville’s urban forests from the many threats they face, including development and environmental degradation. Their work inspires us, and we are reminded that the spirit of collaboration is key to all conservation triumphs. Together, we are stronger, more resilient, and more capable of shaping a sustainable future for both our people and our planet.

Echoes of the Forest is honored to support Save the Woods in their mission.

With gratitude and solidarity,
Liisa Andreassen, founder
Echoes of the Forest

Connection to nature is an essential part of mental health. Our communities need easy access to nature to recharge and connect with themselves, as well as others. Destroying the woods would not only be detrimental to the surrounding Five Points neighborhood, the neighborhood my office happens to be in, it would be a massive loss for Asheville as a whole. It would be a loss for the students at UNCA who enjoy this access. Many students and Ashevillians don't have the ability to seek other green spaces due to lack of transportation. And as far as trails go, this one is relatively flat, making it accessible to many walking/hiking levels. Movement is also crucial for mental health, another reason the destruction of the woods would hurt the community. Not to mention, environmental health is health. I urge UNCA to save the woods for the good of the health of our Asheville and UNCA student communities. 

As the manager of Ben and Jerry’s Scoop Shop in downtown Asheville, I am compelled

to oppose the proposed development of a massive soccer stadium by UNCA in the

Woods. This opposition is rooted in my professional alignment with Ben and Jerry’s core

social mission of environmental protection, restoration, and regeneration, under the

guiding principle that "if it's melted, it's ruined”. The loss of this 45-acre urban forest

would clearly violate this core value as well as impact the neighborhood I hold close to

my heart.

Ben and Jerry’s social mission emphasizes environmental stewardship, recognizing that

local businesses have a responsibility to protect, not destroy, the planet and our local

environment. Preserving this forest is a tangible way to live that mission as it directly

affects all of our community. The loss of 45 acres of mature forest would be an

environmental step backward—a clear case of "it's ruined"— a huge loss of habitat for

our non-human neighbors and a list of negative side effects for the human counterparts

left in the surrounding community. The stadium will increase traffic congestion, which

will disrupt the natural flow of local neighbors into downtown to support our local

economy, and directly compete with our economy rather than boosting it. It will also

create multiple environmental issues like excess air pollution from the loss of carbon

sinking trees to increased flooding on an already struggling broadway making it difficult

for locals and tourists to traverse during weather events, turning our city from a green

haven into an environmental nightmare. Furthermore, maintaining the natural

environment surrounding downtown is part of what attracts the conscious consumer

base that supports my business. My customers value businesses that stand up for the

environment, and opposing this development reinforces my authenticity and

commitment to being a socially responsible member of the Asheville community.

Personally, this forest represents a vital component of Asheville's natural identity and

the quality of life for its residents. It's an irreplaceable green space that offers respite,

clean air, and critical habitat in an increasingly developed urban area. Protecting it

aligns with my personal commitment to sustainability and ensures that future

generations can enjoy the natural beauty that defines our mountain town. Losing it

would mean losing a piece of what makes Asheville home as this was the first

neighborhood I lived in when moving to Asheville. It would deeply sadden me to know

the wildlife I saw on my daily walks would lose their home as well as what made mine

so special.

In closing, I urge the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA) to fundamentally

reconsider this proposed stadium development. Your decision should reflect the

environmental and community values that define Asheville. I ask UNCA to halt the

current proposal, open a transparent dialogue with local businesses and residents, and

work collaboratively to identify a solution that prioritizes preserving the Woods—our vital

urban forest. Let us choose a path forward that aligns with creating a greener, locally

focused Asheville that benefits all, ensuring the sustainability and unique quality of life

that attracts and supports our entire community. 

As a local small business owner and licensed electrician serving this community, I feel compelled to speak up in support of preserving Asheville’s remaining urban forest.

After the tree loss we experienced following Helene, we’ve all seen firsthand how vulnerable our landscape is. Mature trees are not just aesthetic — they provide natural cooling, reduce stormwater runoff, protect soil stability, improve air quality, and help buffer our homes and neighborhoods against extreme weather. In a rapidly changing climate, preserving existing canopy is one of the most practical and cost-effective forms of resilience we have.

Developing one of the last remaining urban forest areas feels counter to the values that define our community. We pride ourselves on environmental stewardship, thoughtful growth, and long-term sustainability. Once a mature forest is cleared, it cannot simply be replaced within a generation.

In my work, I focus on energy-efficient electrical systems, EV charging infrastructure, smart load management, and future-forward power solutions. Much of what I do is centered on reducing environmental impact and helping homeowners transition responsibly toward cleaner energy. Preserving urban canopy is part of that same effort. Sustainability is not just about solar panels and electric vehicles — it’s about protecting the natural systems that already serve us.

Growth and progress are important. But true progress should strengthen, not diminish, the environmental character and resilience of our community.

I encourage UNCA to carefully reconsider this development and explore alternatives that preserve this vital green space for future generations of wildlife, residents, and students who call Asheville home.

Dear Chancellor van Noort, UNC Asheville Board of Trustees, and UNC Board of Governors:

Thank you for your commitment to our University of North Carolina system. This open letter concerns plans for the Millennial Campus at UNC Asheville.

Awakening to Biodiversity Loss--Old forests have always brought me a sense of calm and reverence, and my respect and enjoyment of natural places runs deep. However, it was during the founding of Bee City USA—a pollinator conservation organization—that I came to understand the staggering scale of biodiversity loss occurring locally and globally. The concern is widespread: currently, 478 Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA chapters operate in 48 states, each committed to preserving as much biodiversity as possible by preserving the pollinators responsible for the reproduction of nearly 90% of the world’s wild, flowering species (plus 75% of crops). Indeed, nine UNC system universities are certified Bee Campus USA affiliates, including UNC Asheville.

The Anthropocene: Humanity’s Impact on the Environment--This worldwide crisis stems from the Anthropocene, also known as the Human Epoch—a period marked by human activity dominating climate and environmental changes. Each geological era has seen species flourish or perish, as with the extinction of dinosaurs, but the Anthropocene stands alone as the first epoch driven by humans.

As a baby boomer born in 1956, I am part of a generation often considered the most privileged in history. We have mastered the art of conquering Nature, continually building for our entertainment and comfort. Yet, we often overlook how these advancements disrupt the intricate web of life, where plants and animals have depended on each other for survival over millions of years.

Ironically, our technological advancements have enabled us to uncover some of Nature’s mysteries. For example, we can now attach tiny tracking devices to migrating monarch butterflies, insects weighing less than a grain of rice. These discoveries serve to highlight the extraordinary complexity of creation, and the countless services Nature provides. Much of the very oxygen we breathe is produced by plants!

Collectively, every assault on the natural world is rapidly and irreversibly undermining our planet’s life support systems. When development knowingly harms the environment, we must ensure such damage is justified for the greater public good.

Community Values and False Choices--Residents of Asheville and Buncombe County deeply value both UNC Asheville and the forest it owns. Many in the community believe that destroying the forest to solve the University’s enrollment and financial challenges presents a false choice.

In the Anthropocene, we are so separated from Nature, that we think the planet’s many life forms can survive somewhere “out there.” But the famous ecologist, Dr. Douglas Tallamy, explains that due to agriculture, roads, buildings, athletic facilities, etc., only about five per cent of the continental United States can be considered truly “natural’ despite our wonderful national forests and parks. As a result, we have fragmented, disconnected habitats that are unable to sustain many of the species that thrived “there” even fifty years ago.

The Value of Urban Forest Remnants--In 2022, Asheville’s canopy cover, our shield against the urban heat island effect, was about 55%. A new study is expected to reveal that percentage has significantly dropped post-Helene.

The City is committed to enhancing its urban canopy. While it is essential to plant new trees; larger, mature trees--like those in the Millennial Campus--provide exponentially more services. Preserving them is important. A 30" diameter tree, for example, removes 70 times more pollutants from the air than a 3” diameter newly planted tree.

In other words, even urban areas have an important role to play in the race to save as many species as possible before it’s too late. The United Nations’ report on “Pollinators, Pollination, and Food Production” warned in 2016 that a full 40% of the world’s insect pollinators were at risk of extinction. That was ten years ago, and their numbers continue to decline.

Conservationists rightly promote density in urban areas to reduce urban sprawl and leave more rural areas “natural,” but maintaining native trees and plants in urban areas provides connective “bridges” between urban, suburban and rural habitats to allow insects, birds and other species to travel for finding mates, food, and nesting sites.

A Call for Innovative Solutions--UNCA’s enrollment shortfalls are not unique. According to the Best Colleges website, “After increasing for decades, undergraduate college enrollment peaked in 2010 at around 18.1 million students, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). From there, it declined steadily.” In 2022 national enrollment was down 14.8% from its peak in 2010. Among other factors, the decline is attributed to a shrinking college-aged population because of a drop in birth rates after the 2007-2009 recession.

A forest that that has been growing since the Civil War can be destroyed in a single day by bulldozers. I urge you to consider creative and nuanced approaches to secure the future of UNC Asheville, recognizing that its substantial urban forest will continue to provide essential ecosystem services to our human (and other) species for decades, or even centuries, to come.

Sincerely,
Phyllis Stiles

Dogwood Alliance urges the University of North Carolina - Asheville Chancellor, Board of Trustees, and UNC Board of Governors to continue the protection of the 45 acres of urbanwoods on the south end of its campus. We stand in solidarity with the Save Our Woods community movement and their efforts to protect these 45 acres of forest.

For 30 years, Dogwood Alliance has worked across the US South to protect forests and communities from the impacts of industrial logging. Over decades of organizing and advocacy, we have witnessed and been involved in hundreds of important and consequential decisions involving forests, people, and specific economic realities. The protection of this 45-acre forest is another such decision.

We understand that at this moment, the University is facing enormous pressures and difficult decisions. We also understand and have a deep organizational connection to the incredible environmental, cultural, spiritual, and economic benefits that standing forests provide.

It is in these exact moments that true leaders emerge. Nearly all of the natural places that we enjoy today - from our vast National Parks to the UNC Asheville Botanical Gardens, which the university currently celebrates - also faced, under similar circumstances and debates, these decision moments.

History has taught us that leaders who stood for a vision that prioritized the connectedness between people and nature instead of short-term economic gain were remembered and celebrated. We are asking for Chancellor Van Noort, the Board of Trustees, and the UNC Board of Governors to be leaders. Leaders who will be remembered for permanently protecting these woods and charting a new, powerful, and productive relationship for the University, its students, and the Asheville community.

Adam Colette
Program Director
Dogwood Alliance

Dear Chancellor and Board of Trustees, 

Sunrise Movement WNC strongly urges UNCA to reconsider the proposed development plan as the urban forest provides irreplaceable benefits for our human residents and visitors, as well as the non-human species that make Asheville home. As the region continues to recover from Hurricane Helene, it is clearer than ever that our community must prioritize climate resilience to safeguard our future. These woods offer resilience in the face of climate change by providing urban forest canopy, carbon sequestration, and natural storm water management. The benefits of a mature forest ecosystem take time to develop and cannot be reestablished with new planting. Should the Woods be cut down, the ecosystem would be irreparably harmed. Further damaging the environment and limiting resilience of our communities in this time is an unconscionable course of action.

In addition to their important environmental role, the Woods are also a place where students learn, faculty conduct research, and community members commune with nature and each other. They are an accessible natural recreation space, especially for our neighbors who have limited access to transportation. These plans would compound the existing inequity in access to natural spaces, especially for our elderly, racialized, and impoverished community members who already struggle with affordability in the least affordable city in North Carolina.

The proposed development plans threaten the health of the environment of Asheville and the wellbeing of its many residents and is strongly opposed by Sunrise Movement WNC. UNCA is a public institution; leadership should listen to the overwhelming wish of the community to preserve this beloved community asset. 

With hope, 

Sunrise Movement WNC

Dr. van Noort and UNCA Board of Trustees,

As a UNC Asheville alumnus, former Student Body President, and former member of the UNC Asheville Board of Trustees, I care deeply about the university’s long-term strength. I recognize the financial and enrollment pressures facing UNC Asheville, and I support thoughtful use of its Millennial Campus properties to generate recurring revenue, add housing, and better serve students. However, I respectfully disagree with the recommendation in The Path Forward: Recommendations for UNC Asheville’s Millennial Campus Development that South Campus should be the university’s “highest priority for development.” UNC Asheville should prioritize all other Millennial Campus properties before considering development of South Campus and should work with Save the Woods to place the South Campus woods into a permanent conservation easement.

The report identifies worthy goals: sustaining academic programs, increasing enrollment, attracting faculty, creating a vibrant campus, serving students, welcoming the broader community, treating landscape as a defining priority, and ensuring alignment with the university’s mission. Yet South Campus already advances each of these goals in its current state. It is not vacant or underutilized land. It is an academic setting, a research resource, a community asset, a refuge for students, and part of the landscape identity that distinguishes UNC Asheville.

I know this from experience. I was drawn to UNC Asheville and chose to enroll in part because of the campus’s undeveloped natural spaces, including South Campus. As a student, I used these woods for field-based learning in biology and environmental science courses and for research. I also relied on South Campus as a refuge when I needed a break from my studies. Student Government and other organizations used it for team-building and community-building activities. That is campus vibrancy, student service, applied learning, and high-impact education in their most authentic forms.

Current faculty are advocating for preservation because South Campus contributes directly to their teaching, research, and academic work. Destroying that resource could undermine faculty retention and make recruiting future faculty more difficult, directly contradicting the report’s stated goal of attracting faculty. A university cannot credibly present development as necessary to support academic programs while eliminating a landscape that already functions as an outdoor classroom and living laboratory.

The report states that its engagement process revealed two “roughly equal” groups and acknowledges that approximately half of those engaged viewed South Campus as “an ecological, academic, and community asset central to UNCA’s identity.” It also reports broad interest in directing development toward already-cleared parcels and recognizes that the costs and benefits of development extend beyond the balance sheet to ecosystem services and community goodwill. These findings are important, but the engagement process was expressly described as neither a vote nor a representative survey and, therefore, should not be interpreted as establishing that the community is evenly divided.

I believe that a truly representative survey of relevant stakeholders would show that concern about developing South Campus is held not merely by roughly half, but by a substantial majority. That belief is supported by the scale and breadth of the public response: large petitions, thousands of community members, the sustained and highly visible Save the Woods movement, support from Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Commissioners, and the current Student Body President’s representation that today’s student body stands with Save the Woods. While these indicators are not a substitute for a scientific survey, they are compelling evidence that preservation has broad support across students, faculty, alumni, neighbors, and local civic leadership. Before making an irreversible decision, UNC Asheville should conduct an independent, transparent, and methodologically sound survey of these stakeholders.

South Campus already welcomes the wider community. The breadth of the Save the Woods movement demonstrates that people experience this land as a meaningful connection to UNC Asheville. Clearing the woods despite that response would send the opposite message: that the community is not welcome, either through its physical presence on the land or through its participation in decisions about the university’s future. Listening cannot mean merely recording public concerns. Meaningful engagement requires allowing those concerns to shape the outcome.

Preservation is also more consistent with UNC Asheville’s mission:

“The University of North Carolina Asheville is North Carolina’s designated public liberal arts and sciences university and one of the 17 excellent, diverse, and accessible institutions of the UNC System. UNC Asheville’s relationship-driven education prepares students for lives of leadership and service with an emphasis on critical thinking, clear and thoughtful expression, applied research, community engagement, free and open inquiry, and undergraduate and graduate programs that address the most pressing issues of our time. Through small class sizes, close collaboration, and high-impact experiences, we are preparing the next generation of leaders and productive citizens to serve North Carolina and the nation.”

Protecting an urban forest used for education, research, restoration, reflection, and community engagement is not separate from this mission. It is a direct expression of it.

The report states that landscape should be a “defining priority” and that planning should begin with “topography, ecology, hydrology, and character.” Yet designating South Campus as the “highest priority for development” suggests either that landscape is not truly being prioritized or that the South Campus landscape is being understood principally in terms of its contours and the acreage it could provide after clearing. Ecology cannot be reduced to a design feature added after construction. Prioritizing ecology means recognizing the inherent value that the existing forest already provides and preserving the functioning habitat itself. Trails, landscaping, isolated trees, and fragments of managed open space incorporated into a development would not replace an intact natural system.

UNC Asheville has alternatives. The report identifies graded land on the Broadway property as suitable for selective commercial and mixed-use development. It also documents community support for small-scale mixed-use development, housing, and childcare on already-cleared parcels. Revenue-producing uses, housing, retail, dining, childcare, and institutional partnerships should therefore be pursued first on Broadway and the university’s other previously disturbed or cleared Millennial Campus properties. Those sites should be fully evaluated and utilized before the university considers sacrificing an irreplaceable academic and ecological resource.

I urge UNC Asheville to reverse the proposed order of priority: develop already-cleared Millennial Campus properties first, preserve South Campus, and work collaboratively with Save the Woods to establish a conservation easement. Uses that cannot be achieved while preserving South Campus, particularly housing and projects intended to generate recurring revenue, should be directed to the Broadway property and other cleared locations. This approach would protect an asset that already supports enrollment, faculty recruitment and retention, student well-being, academic programs, applied research, community engagement, campus identity, and the university’s mission, while allowing responsible development to proceed elsewhere.

Preservation is not a refusal to plan for UNC Asheville’s future. It is a more disciplined, evidence-based, mission-aligned, and enduring plan for that future.

Best Wishes,

Dr. Nick Ladd, D.O.

Child/Adolescent/Adult Psychiatrist

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Director

MAHEC Center for Psychiatry & Mental Wellness

Pronouns: he/him/his

Statement is solely the view of the author and not of MAHEC or any other organization.