Much of the land that is now the Duke Forest was purchased by the university in the 1920s to support the transformation of Trinity College into Duke University. By 1931, lands that were not needed for campus expansion were placed under management by Dr. Clarence Korstian, the forest’s first director. A variety of geologic conditions, soil types, topography, and past land use conditions help shape the diversity of plants, animals and natural communities found in the forest today. In terms of size, accessibility, diversity and accumulated long-term data, the Duke Forest is an invaluable resource for studies related to the environment.