The State of North Carolina has a group of twelve protected areas known as state forests which are managed by the North Carolina Forest Service, an agency of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Six of the state forests are known as State Educational Forests and they are primarily used to educate the public about the forest environment, forestry, and forest management. One state forest, DuPont, was designated as a State Recreational Forest in recognition of its high recreational value and use. Most of the state forests provide recreational facilities for hiking and picnicking.
North Carolina state forests Name Region Counties Size Public access Backbone Ridge State Forest Mountains Caldwell No public access Bladen Lakes State Forest Coastal Plain Bladen Open year-round via permit Clemmons Educational State Forest Piedmont Johnston, Wake Open year-round DuPont State Recreational Forest Mountains Henderson, Transylvania Open year-round Gill State Forest Mountains Avery Not open to the general public Headwaters State Forest Mountains Transylvania Open year-round Holmes Educational State Forest Mountains Henderson Open year-roud Jordan Lake Educational State Forest Piedmont Chatham Open year-round Mountain Island Educational State Forest Piedmont Lincoln, Gaston Open year-round Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest Coastal Plain Bladen Open year-round Tuttle Educational State Forest Mountains Caldwell Open year-round
See also List of national forests of the United States List of North Carolina state parks
Notes
References
External links website for the NC Forest Service.