Contact us

Research

Director:
Marie Obourn
46 Univ Forest Drive
Wappapello, MO 63966
Phone: 573-222-8373

The University Forest

The University Forest is managed by the University of Missouri's School of Natural Resources. Since the mid-1940s, it has been an integral part of the School's teaching, research and outreach. Today, it is a quality facility that is open year-round for all agencies and non-profit organizations involved in any aspect of natural resources education.

The Setting

The University Forest is located at the southeast edge of the Missouri Ozarks in Butler County, just 14 miles north of Poplar Bluff near Lake Wappapello. Botanically, University Forest is at the junction of several major forest types.

To the north and west are the vast oak-hickory and oak-pine forests of the Missouri Ozarks. A mile or so to the southeast is the Bootheel region, where the rich alluvial soils of the Mississippi Delta support remnant stands of gigantic bottomland hardwoods and bald cypress. In addition, scattered throughout the vicinity are small pockets of ecosystems found more typically to the south and east. Likewise, local geology and soils exhibit the same variability.

This great variety provides excellent opportunities for a variety of field experiences. Several hundred thousand acres of forests and other wildlands within easy access of the University Forest are administered for the public by various state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Within a few minutes' drive are Lake Wappapello, the Mingo Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, the Duck Creek Wildlife Area (site of Galord Laboratory, the School's internationally-recognized center for waterfowl biology and wetland research) and the Black, Current and St. Francis Rivers.

Activities

The University Forest is used routinely by the faculty and students of the School of Natural Resources as an off-campus field station for research and graduate and undergraduate classes. More recently, the University Forest has been the site of a number of continuing professional education workshops and seminars on wetland ecology, waterfowl biology, and computer modeling of forest stand structure and dynamics. And it has become a favorite field-trip headquarters for classes in natural resources, biology and related fields from a number of high schools, colleges and universities throughout Missouri and surrounding states. The University Forest is also an excellent remote getaway site for retreats and other gatherings where solitude is a prerequisite.

Facilities

The comfortable modern cabins, the classroom and meeting center, the dining hall and recreational facilities blend aesthetically into the surrounding hardwood forest. Housing and meals are available on site, for a maximum of 60 persons. Special accommodations are available for the physically handicapped.

Reservations

For reservations or more information, please contact the coordinator at:

University Forest
46 University Forest Dr.
Wappappello, MO 63966

or phone (573) 222-8373,
our FAX number is (573) 222-8829.

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agebb@missouri.edu