As the year comes to a close, two longtime projects involving the N.C. Forest Service have taken big steps. The Mountain Island Educational State Forest has opened in Stanley, and we recently broke ground and building is set to begin on a new Region 1 N.C. Forest Service Headquarters in Duplin County.
- As 2025 comes to an end, we recently had two longtime projects of the N.C. Forest Service take big steps to completion AND beginning.
- In December, the Forest Service officially opened the Mountain Island Educational State Forest in Stanley. With its opening, it has become one of seven state educational forests across the state operated by the N.C. Forest Service.
- Also, in December, we broke ground on the new N.C. Forest Service’s Region I Headquarters in Duplin County.
- Both of these projects have been years in the making and they are a testament to patience, perseverance and partnership.
- We are happy to celebrate the opening of Mountain Island and its completion, and the beginning of the Region I project.
- Both facilities will be a great benefit to their communities, and I am grateful to our General Assembly for its support of these projects, along with many local and regional partners. The partnership involved in both of these projects has been tremendous.
- The Mountain Island Educational State Forest sits on a 2,000-acre tract of land in Gaston County.
- The nearby lake where the forest takes its name supplies water to one out of every 12 residents in the state.
- Among the benefits of this protected forest is that it will filter the water drinking, clean the air and sequester carbon.
- And, because Mountain Island Educational State Forest is a working forest, it provides an opportunity to demonstrate to the public the advantages of good forest management.
- The site features a beautiful forestry education center, indoor and outdoor classrooms, four hiking trials, picnic tables and a picnic shelter.
- I am also excited about the Region 1 Headquarter project because it will allow us to bring together many of the Region 1 forestry and aviation resources and better allow our Forest Service staff to be responsive to wildfires and other emergencies.
- Having these resources together in close proximity will benefit our overall operations and optimize communication, which is critical in emergency response situations.
- As the state with the largest area of wildland urban interface in the country, or the area where structures and other human development meet undeveloped wildland and forests, the need for quick and coordinated response is critical.
- When complete, the Region 1 Headquarters will be a $13.1 million facility, close to the Duplin County Airport where we have two hangars with aviation equipment housed.
- The facility will include offices, maintenance shops, storage for equipment, chemicals and fuel, and shared training facilities that can also be used for Emergency Incident Command operations.
- I’ll keep you updated on its progress.
- This has been a challenging year as farms continue to recover from 2024. I am thankful for every one of them that put a crop in the ground this year or produced livestock and dairy products for our food supply. My prayer and my hope is for a better season in 2026.