Education & Research

UNCA Student Education and Research

The UNCA woods is not vacant or "unused land."

Per a recent Natural Areas Advisory council report:

Preserving South Campus – or areas thereof – in its current natural state means protecting a vital asset that sustains research, teaching, and the university’s leadership in environmental stewardship and resilience.

The 45 acre forest, a.k.a South Campus, "is routinely used for instruction in [18] courses in Biology and Environmental Sciences":

BIOL 110 Plants and Humans

BIOL 211 Principles of Botany

BIOL 334 Flowering Plants

BIOL 335 Plant Morphology 

BIOL 351 Field Botany

BIOL 357 Mycology

BIOL 442 Forest Ecology

ENVS 130 Introduction to Environmental Science

ENVS 241 Ecology & Field Biology

ENVS 302 Field Ornithology

ENVS 332 Environmental Management

ENVS 346 Plant Ecology

ENVS 348 Avian Ecology & Conservation

ENVS 351 Herpetology

ENVS 365 Exotic Invasive Plant Management

ENVS 373 Plants and People of the Southern Appalachians

ENVS 390 Wildlife Ecology & Management

ENVS 396 Woody Plants in Winter

"My colleagues and I in the Biology Department have conducted outdoor labs and ecological research in the Urban Forest for [many] years. This research has been supported by significant extramural funding (hundreds of thousands of dollars) from NSF, the NC Biotechnology Center, the McCullough Fellowship and elsewhere. The students trained in these activities measure easily in the hundreds if not thousands.

As a botanist I know that we cannot compete with larger and more well-funded universities regarding our lab facilities, but I can assert with confidence that the quality of the natural areas on our campus and their utility for education and research well exceed those available on most other campuses." David Clarke [See UNC Asheville Urban Forest valuable to students, wildlife, community; preservation is key]

We ask why would UNCA choose to destroy something that sets it apart and likely improves the education and recruitment of students?

Community Study of Plants, Animals, and Fungi

UNCA's Urban Forest in the Five Points Neighborhood has been an amazing place for families to take their children to learn about nature and for community members to study botany, mycology, and learn about wildlife. It's a rare opportunity to visit a forest without driving and gives opportunity for people with disabilities, the elderly, or those with limited disposable income or transportation to spend time in nature.