Doris Duke FoundationDuke FarmsDDF Center | Nature

Duke Farms × The Climate Toolkit

Ecological Restoration and Landscapes

Across 2,700 acres, Duke Farms connects protected habitats, native plant restoration, community gardening, and practical land-care education. The forested floodplain project completed construction in June 2026, enhancing 112 acres of habitat along the Raritan River; long-term ecological monitoring continues.

Alignment reviewed

Toolkit goals
6
Documented achieved
6 of 6
In progress or planned
0

Goal by goal

Our alignment & progress

“Achieved” is supported by Duke Farms program records or explicit completion reported by the Climate Toolkit’s Duke Farms profile, as explained for each goal. Source dates identify the period covered; they do not imply a new audit. “Not yet verified” means the reviewed evidence does not establish achievement; it does not mean no work is happening.

01 / Toolkit goal

Achieved

Protect existing forests and other natural spaces

How Duke Farms aligns
Protect riparian floodplain, wetlands, and grasslands through conservation easements and long-term stewardship.
Documented achievement
A March 2023 background record documents 918 acres under conservation easements. The June 2026 restoration report confirms an NRCS easement covering the project area and retention of approximately 450 existing native trees, primarily oaks. The acreage is a dated record, not a new campus-wide inventory.
Sources
  • Duke Farms conservation easement background, March 2023Source dated
  • Forested Floodplain Restoration Construction Completion Report, June 2026Report and construction completion dated June 2026; day not specified.

02 / Toolkit goal

Achieved

Provide public and professional ecological restoration education

How Duke Farms aligns
Offer practical instruction for land stewards and property owners, connecting classroom learning with outdoor restoration techniques.
Documented achievement
The April 25, 2025 Spring Stewardship Workshop syllabus documents a six-hour course in invasive plant identification, early detection and rapid response, and hands-on management. The October 2025 education update reports 15 continuing education classes and professional continuing-education partners. The upcoming symposium extends this existing education program.
Sources
  • Spring Stewardship Workshop syllabus, April 25, 2025Source dated
  • Duke Farms education program update, October 2025Program update dated October 2025; day not specified.
  • Climate Toolkit Symposium 2026Event page reviewed October 8, 2026.

03 / Toolkit goal

Achieved

Support and advance urban agriculture

How Duke Farms aligns
Provide community garden plots, organic growing instruction, and continuing education that help residents grow food locally.
Documented achievement
The 2026 Community Garden agreement requires food-centric plots with at least 50% fruit or vegetable crops and Intro to Organic Gardening for first-year gardeners. The October 2025 education update reports 14 Community Garden classes. The Toolkit includes on-site community gardens among its examples for this goal; this alignment does not claim an off-site urban farming network.
Sources
  • Duke Farms Community Garden participation agreement, 2026 seasonSource dated
  • Duke Farms education program update, October 2025Program update dated October 2025; day not specified.
  • Climate Toolkit urban agriculture guidanceToolkit guidance reviewed October 8, 2026.

04 / Toolkit goal

Achieved

Maximize electric landscape-maintenance equipment

How Duke Farms aligns
Use battery-powered landscape and maintenance equipment where possible, connecting land care with the wider energy transition.
Documented achievement
Reported complete by the Climate Toolkit’s Duke Farms profile, reviewed October 8, 2026. The profile does not publish the measurement period or underlying audit. A 2021 materials management record also documents staff training to use battery-electric equipment when possible; it does not provide a current fleet inventory or establish that every tool is electric.
Sources
  • Duke Farms’ Climate Toolkit profileProfile reviewed October 8, 2026; completion reporting period is not supplied by the Toolkit.
  • Duke Farms materials management garden profile, 2021Source dated

05 / Toolkit goal

Achieved

Use integrated pest management and sustainable land care

How Duke Farms aligns
Combine invasive species management, trained applicators, and contractor IPM requirements with habitat stewardship.
Documented achievement
Reported complete by the Climate Toolkit’s Duke Farms profile, reviewed October 8, 2026. The profile does not publish the measurement period or underlying audit. The 2021 materials management record documents contractor IPM plans, pesticide-use recording, licensed applicators, and biological pest-control measures in the Community Garden. It described a campus-wide consolidated IPM program as still under development at that time.
Sources
  • Duke Farms’ Climate Toolkit profileProfile reviewed October 8, 2026; completion reporting period is not supplied by the Toolkit.
  • Duke Farms materials management garden profile, 2021Source dated

06 / Toolkit goal

Achieved

Increase tree and plant cover for carbon storage and local ecology

How Duke Farms aligns
Restore native forested floodplain and scrub-shrub habitat while retaining existing native trees.
Documented achievement
The June 2026 construction completion report documents 112 acres of habitat enhancement: 109 acres of native forested and scrub-shrub habitat plus approximately three acres of ephemeral pools. Construction is complete, while plant establishment and ecological outcomes require continuing monitoring. This is not a quantified carbon-removal claim.
Documented next step
Begin year-one monitoring in 2027 and continue the documented 15-year monitoring period.
Sources
  • Forested Floodplain Restoration Construction Completion Report, June 2026Report and construction completion dated June 2026; day not specified.
  • Duke Farms’ Climate Toolkit profileProfile reviewed October 8, 2026; completion reporting period is not supplied by the Toolkit.

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