FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Oct. 11, 2022) -- Look up, and you will see that Fort Drum is home to a diverse, colorful range of fall foliage.
Community members don’t have to go far to appreciate a rainbow of colors around the cantonment area – from sugar maple trees producing vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow, to oak tree leaves that turn rich brown colors. Fort Drum has more than 70 kinds of tree varieties – fir, maple, birch, pine, spruce, ash, willow and elm, to name a few.
According to Fort Drum Natural Resources Branch, forests cover roughly 57 percent of the installation, and provides for numerous military training environments, diverse wildlife habitat, forest product production and recreational opportunities.
Approximately 1,028 acres on post have been artificially reforested since 1919, planting an abundance of conifer species such as Scotch Pine and Red Pine.
The installation’s forest management team has the task of creating a landscape that both supports the 10th Mountain Division’s training needs, while preserving the natural beauty of the environment. Through tree harvesting, they increase tree spacing for troop mobility, improve the overall quality of the forest by removing the poorest quality and inferior trees, enhance forest biodiversity and improve habitats for wildlife species.
Stop by the Natural Resources Outreach Facility on Col. Reade Road, next to the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum, to learn more about the trees, flora and fauna of the North Country. It is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can even pick up a copy of the Nature Detective’s Guide to the Trees and Forests of Fort Drum to start a tree journal while you explore the natural beauty all around.
To view a full fall foliage photo gallery, visit www.flickr.com/photos/drum10thmountain/albums/72177720302816419.
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