Clemmons Educational State Forest (CESF) is a North Carolina State Forest in Clayton. It is

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

's first educational state forest, and it is operated by the

North Carolina Forest Service The North Carolina Forest Service, formerly known as the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources is a North Carolina state government agency responsible for providing land management assistance to landowners. The agency's primary responsibili ...

. The site features self-guided nature trails with audio exhibit stations, the Forestry Exhibit Center with interactive exhibits about the

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

of forests, soil, water, wildlife and the state's cultural history. There are 4 main trails with 8 miles of hiking available. The two audio trails ("Talking Trees" trail and the "Talking Rocks" trail) feature recorded messages about the history of the forest and trees as well as

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

of North Carolina. The Forest Demonstration trail shows actual forestry practices, while the Watershed Extension loop features streams, hills, and other interesting sites. There are picnic sites as well as a large covered picnic shelter available for the public to use. Another interesting feature is a large 40 feet by 24 feet deck overlooking a 3-acre pond with a large map of North Carolina showing all of the

river basins A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the ...

in the state. Children and adults enjoy feeding the fish from the deck also. Forest rangers offer education programs for school groups.

References

External links

*
Education informationNC ECHO - Clemmons Educational State Forest
North Carolina state forests Museums in Johnston County, North Carolina Museums in Wake County, North Carolina Forestry museums in the United States Nature centers in North Carolina Natural history museums in North Carolina Protected areas of Johnston County, North Carolina Protected areas of Wake County, North Carolina Education in Johnston County, North Carolina Education in Wake County, North Carolina Open-air museums in North Carolina {{WakeCountyNC-geo-stub