SUNY ESF
Lafayette Road Experiment Station
The Lafayette Road Experiment Station is located 4 miles south of Main Campus on the outskirts of the City of Syracuse. The land for the Lafayette Road Experiment Station was purchased by the State in 1912 to provide an experimental area, suitable for instructional use and in close proximity to the College. The original 90 acres was divided upon the construction of I-81, with 20 acres becoming the new highway and 26 acres transferred to the City of Syracuse, which would later become Heath Park.
Today, the Lafayette Road Experiment Station is used extensively for teaching and research. There are over 50 different tree species on the property used for teaching dendrology, silviculture, and forest ecology. The American Chestnut Research & Restoration Project at SUNY ESF to grow blight-tolerant American chestnuts with the goal of restoring them to their previous forest ecosystems. The ESF Timbersports team also has their home practice field at the property.