Mark Emkes, the head of the state’s Department of Finance and Administration, said he was sensitive to environmental concerns but supported the university’s position. The forest has been overseen by the university’s agriculture department since 1947 and, after decades of strip mining and clean-cutting trees by private companies, has been restored to a biologically diverse condition. The university has been considering leasing out the land since 2001.

The benefits would be financial and academic, said William F. Brown, the dean of research and director of the university’s Agricultural Experiment Station. A private company would lease the mineral rights on a portion of the land and university officials would study the impact of drilling on water and air quality, wildlife and geology and recommend plans for curbing future damage.

The gas company would have no control over the research and the university would ensure that safe drilling methods were used, Dr. Brown said. “We’re just trying to conduct unbiased, scientifically sound research,” he added. “We’re hearing more questions about the environmental impact of natural gas extraction. We feel like we have an obligation to be able to answer those questions.”

But the Southern Environmental Law Center has called the plan “deeply flawed.” Gwen Parker, a staff lawyer for the group, said the university was putting finances above health and environmental concerns. The plan creates obvious conflicts of interest, she said, as the research will be financed by the gas companies being studied.

Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting huge amounts of water, mixed with sand and chemicals, at high pressures to break up shale formations and release the gas. Environmentalists worry the process could release harmful chemicals that would contaminate drinking water.