The woods frequently double as a classroom for the College's students and faculty. A conservation easement would protect the woods' pristine state forever.
An easement resulting from a Piedmont Land Conservancy fundraising campaign over the next two years will protect about 120 acres from future development.
“Guilford College is proud to be part of this partnership to preserve Guilford Woods. We are committed to ensuring this beloved Greensboro landscape remains protected and accessible for generations to come.”
Guilford College and Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue a conservation easement that will permanently protect a significant portion of Guilford Woods, including the College’s historic tulip poplar known as the Underground Railroad tree.
PLC, founded in 1990 by conservationists including Kathy Treanor ’90, hopes to secure a conservation easement on 120 acres from the College. The easement would ensure that the land — one of Greensboro’s last remaining undeveloped woodlands — can never be developed, while Guilford retains ownership.
To fund the easement, PLC’s Board of Directors is launching a capital campaign to raise $8.5 million. Funds raised will likely be available to the College by 2028. While the proceeds will not be factored in the current $5 million “For the Good of Guilford” campaign that concludes June 30, the money will be important in Guilford’s longer-term financial strategy.
Community leaders have long sought a way to preserve the ecological and historical value of Guilford Woods, while also supporting the College. Now, they appear to have found the ideal solution, said Guilford’s Acting President, Jean Bordewich.
“Guilford College is proud to be part of this partnership to preserve Guilford Woods,” said Jean. “We are committed to ensuring this beloved Greensboro landscape remains protected and accessible for generations to come.”
“This is a win-win-win for PLC, Guilford College, and the greater community,” said Mary Magrinat, incoming PLC board president and longtime community advocate. “The land will be permanently protected, Guilford College will receive vital financial support for its programs, and the public will gain official access to pristine green space in a rapidly growing part of Greensboro.”
For generations of Guilfordians, Guilford Woods has been a source of pride and memories. The mature hardwood forest is both environmentally rich and historically significant, supporting an abundance of wildlife, including deer, foxes, beavers, hawks, salamanders – even the occasional bald eagle.
Guilford Woods holds not only significant ecological value but also educational, historical, and recreational importance to the community. In 2017, the federal government recognized the land as one of the earliest documented sites of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
The land included in the agreement includes one of North Carolina’s most iconic and ancient trees: a massive tulip poplar that has withstood over 300 years of hurricanes, lightning strikes and ice storms. The tree is also a historical landmark, old enough to witness a route of the Underground Railroad and a living testament to the struggles of enslaved Africans and African Americans who journeyed through these woods in search of freedom.
The woods have also served as an outdoor classroom for students and faculty including classes in Art and Environmental and Sustainability Studies.
The 120-acre easement at Guilford Woods will connect to the neighboring 100-acre Julian and Ethel Clay Price Park, also protected by Piedmont Land Conservancy, creating a new link to become part of Greensboro’s 100-mile trail network.