Research · Field Sites
Field sites
From the old-growth ravine on our own campus to land-trust preserves, four national forests and the Great Smoky Mountains.
19 partner sites4 national forests nearbyApproval required
01 · Partner sites
Places to work
Campus, Foundation-owned preserves, and properties of the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and Mainspring Conservation Trust. Pick a habitat in the drawing, or use the filters.
Pick a habitat in the drawing to see the sites that have it. Not to scale. Each number is how many partner sites include that habitat.
HBS Campus: Botanical Gardens & research zones
Over half of the 23-acre campus is natural area: an old-growth ravine in acidic cove forest, a well-developed bog, first- and second-order streams, Lindenwood Lake (about 5 acres), two permanent vegetation plots and a climate station.
Howell Preserve, Whiteside Mountain
A 6-acre preserve with northern hardwood and cove forest, owned by the Highlands Biological Foundation.
Dulany Bog
A bog complex co-owned by HBF and the US Forest Service. Special permission required; contact HBS before planning a visit.
Bracken Bog Preserve
A bog and wetland complex with some old-growth forest.
Brushy Face Preserve
Acidic cove forest with significant old-growth stands; trail access.
Dixon Pond
A montane pond and surrounding woodland: an unusual aquatic and riparian study site.
Henry Wright Tract
Exceptional acidic cove and old-growth forest; special permission required through HBS.
Kelsey Trail Preserve
Acidic cove forest with trail access maintained through the partnership.
Laurel Knob
A granitic dome with a high-elevation rock outcrop community and Table Mountain pine.
Lindsey Olive Preserve
Mixed forest with bog and wetland habitat.
McKinney Meadow
Early successional meadow, suited to studies of colonization, invertebrates and mid-succession ecology.
Sargent Property
Acidic cove forest next to campus that substantially extends the Station’s research footprint.
Sassafras Gap Farm
Early successional farmland offering contrasting habitat for comparative research.
Satulah Mountain
A summit granitic dome with a high-elevation rock outcrop community; a landmark site for botanical and lichen studies.
Tessentee Bottomland Preserve
Floodplain on the upper Little Tennessee River with rivercane, wetlands and low-elevation pine-oak forest.
Welch Farm
Oxbow wetland and floodplain forest on the Valley River.
Queen Branch
Early successional habitat and floodplain on the Little Tennessee River.
Gibson Bottoms
Hay fields, mixed oak-hickory forest and a riparian corridor on the Little Tennessee River.
Balsam Mountain Preserve
About 3,300 acres near Sylva under easement with the North American Land Trust; 2,700–5,400 ft, four mountain streams and three NC Natural Heritage Areas.
02 · Land trusts
Our land trust partners
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
Protects the natural and scenic lands of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. Its preserves give HBS researchers and educators access to some of the region’s most significant forests, bogs and granitic domes.
hcltnc.org ↗Mainspring Conservation Trust
Based in Franklin, Mainspring protects lands across western North Carolina, including riparian corridors, floodplains and rivercane along the Little Tennessee River: low-elevation habitats not found near campus.
mainspringconserves.org ↗03 · National forests
Millions of acres nearby
HBS sits within the Nantahala National Forest and is surrounded by three more. Research on national forest land needs prior approval from the District Ranger.
04 · Parks
State & national parks
Gorges State Park
7,500 acres of deep river gorges, forests and waterfalls on the Blue Ridge Escarpment.
Blue Ridge Parkway
High-elevation Plott and Great Balsam Mountains with extensive spruce-fir; closest access at Balsam Gap, about 1.5 hours away.
Great Smoky Mountains
800 square miles spanning 850–6,643 ft, with the largest spruce-fir forest in the southern Appalachians; about 1.5 hours to the Oconaluftee entrance.