UNC Asheville has excavators turning up topsoil, scraping new 8-foot-wide paths, cutting and knocking down trees in the precious jewel of UNCA’s 40-acre urban forest. They haven’t spoken to those of us who will be most impacted by this, but via the grapevine we gather that they have a few buildings planned.
This lovely forest is bordered by Weaver Boulevard, Broadway and the neighborhood of Five Points. It’s 1 mile from downtown. Over the decades, thousands of residents from Five Points, Montford and beyond have enjoyed this forest as a local green reprieve from our urban stressors. The forest is home to box turtles, owls, hawks, woodpeckers, snakes, possum, raccoon, deer and bear. I have seen and heard all of these there. There are ancient trees, mushrooms and wildflowers. Supposedly there is even a cemetery within the woods.
This fall, Helene ravaged the trees of Buncombe County, with estimates of 40% loss of treetops. In addition to the loss of life, homes and income, locals lost so many of their favorite recreation spots. The UNCA forest sustained a lot of tree loss, too, but it was still there for us to walk our familiar paths, to let us get out in woods and hear the birds and to release for a bit the recent Western North Carolina stressors. We didn’t have to get in the car and fight massive traffic to have a walk in the woods.
Please don’t cut down the remaining trees. We have lost enough tree canopy!
UNCA seems to be probing the areas of the forest closest to the Five Points neighborhood for development. We are one of the oldest neighborhoods in Asheville. We are residential. We have narrow streets. We didn’t move here expecting our neighborhood roads to turn into high-volume business corridors. What is UNCA thinking?
UNCA owns other large land areas just as close to their main campus and much more accessible by main road thoroughfares such as Broadway, Weaver Boulevard and Merrimon Avenue. They own the large tract of land at Broadway and Catawba that is already bulldozed, cleared and ready for development. Use this! Why raze a rare urban forest?
UNCA, align with your purported values. Please model integritous stewardship of our ever-dwindling wild places. Once and for all, put this forest into conservatorship for generations to enjoy.
People speak up! Get active. Don’t let another Asheville green space turn to concrete.
— Anne Walch
Asheville
Editor’s note: Xpress contacted UNCA for a response to Walch’s points, and spokesperson Brian Hart pointed us to an online statement (avl.mx/eh50), which says in part: “UNC Asheville is taking steps to better understand the characteristics of 90 acres of undeveloped portions of university property. This includes assessing boundaries, topography, land composition and utilities. To support this process, the university has authorized an experienced external vendor to conduct a thorough exploratory assessment, which will require removing a minimal number of trees and collecting soil samples.
“As we move forward, the university remains dedicated to working with environmental experts who bring deep knowledge of sustainable and responsible land use.
“No decisions regarding development have been made at this time. In keeping with our commitment to transparency and collaboration, as options are being finalized, UNC Asheville will host listening sessions to share information about potential plans and to gather input from the community. …
“Any future development of university property will align with the best interests of the institution, the local and regional community, and the state of North Carolina, while respecting the natural environment that surrounds us.”
