"A Trip Through European Forests" by Dr. J. V. Hofmann 1925 December

In February 1929, the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later N.C. State University) hired Dr. Julius V. Hofmann to set up a forestry program at the college. Prior to his appointment at North Carolina State College, Hofmann served as assistant director of the forestry school at Mount Alto, Pennsylvania.

One of Hofmann's immediate goals was to acquire some forest land for laboratory, research, and demonstration purposes. Unable to secure funding from the university or the state of North Carolina, Hofmann determined the only recourse was to purchase the land on a self-liquidating basis. His hope was that receipts from timber sales would pay for the land. In addition to research, he hoped the school forest would demonstrate how to operate a forest on a profitable and sustainable basis.

Hofmann, along with some trustees of North Carolina State College, incorporated the North Carolina Forestry Foundation on April 15, 1929, to manage and develop the Poole Woods, a 74.94 acre tract in Wake County, North Carolina and the first forest obtained by the Foundation. The Foundation was unable to operate the Poole Woods on a profitable basis and eventually liquidated the property in 1940 and 1941. The Foundation widened its scope to cover all lands acquired for the Department of Forestry. Other Foundation properties included the Hill Forest, near Durham, North Carolina, that the Department of Forestry received as a gift in 1930. The Forestry Foundation purchased the MacLean Forest, located in Hyde County, North Carolina, in 1932. The MacLean Forest was sold in 1942 so the Foundation could concentrate on their recently acquired land in eastern North Carolina, which became known as the Hofmann Forest.

The Hofmann Forest consists of nearly 80,000 acres of land in Jones and Onslow Counties. The Forestry Foundation completed a contract to purchase the land in 1934. The terms of the sale allowed the Foundation to pay for the land on a long-term basis, which they hoped to fund with timber sales. In 1939, the owners of the land indicated they would agree to a substantially lower purchase price if the balance were paid in cash. The Foundation obtained authorization to sell bonds in the amount of $200,000 to raise the money. The Durham Bank and Trust secured the bonds and the Foundation paid off their debt to the bank in 1983.

The Forestry Foundation was beset by conflicting claims concerning the boundaries of the Hofmann Forest. The largest of these claims was the Edward Trott suit, which lasted from 1977 to 1988. The Foundation invested substantial amounts of time, energy, and money in fighting these claims and lawsuits. Onslow and Jones Counties also participated in several property tax disputes with the Foundation. As a result of these tax disputes, the Foundation transferred ownership of Hofmann Forest to the NC State University Endowment Fund in 1977. The Foundation retained responsibility for management of the forest.

The Foundation sold timber from the Hofmann Forest to various timber and paper companies, but the bulk of their sales were made to the Halifax Paper Company of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. The Foundation entered into a 99-year contract with Halifax Paper in 1945, which gave the paper company responsibility for the development, harvesting and general management of the property. The company's initial efforts were directed toward developing a drainage and road system and harvesting over-mature timber.

Champion Timberlands later took over management of the Hofmann Forest until 1986, when Champion terminated its lease and the Land Management Committee of the Forestry Foundation assumed responsibility for the forest.

The North Carolina Forestry Foundation continues to operate the Hofmann Forest as a living research laboratory and a productive, income-producing forest with the profits benefiting the NC State University School of Forestry. The Foundation is active in fund raising and both individuals and corporations have established scholarships and professorships through the Foundation.

"A Trip Through European Forests" by Dr. J. V. Hofmann is a manuscript written by Dr. Julius V. Hofmann in December 1925 to document a trip to forests in Europe in which he traveled with a party including Dr. C. A. Schenck, twelve students, and a lumberman. From March 28 to June 13, 1925, the party visited forests in Holland, Germany, Switzerland, France, and London. Hofmann documented, among other things, the forestry techniques practiced in each location, forestry expenses, and forest schools.

Materials are arranged in the order received.

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[Identification of item], "A Trip Through European Forests" by Dr. J. V. Hofmann, MSS 00406, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Transfer from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, 2016 (Accession 2016-0018)

Processed by: Jessica Serrao, February 2016; machine-readable finding aid by: Jessica Serrao, February 2016.