Monitoring Report Fredricksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park

Allen, Kristen

The area consists of a field complex (i.e. Upton, McCoull, Harrison, Landram, Middle and Crescent fields) in Spotsylvania totaling 93 acres. These areas are sporadically bush-hogged by park maintenance. The purposes of the burn are to reduce brushy fuels to open up the historic scene, open up and maintain vistas, and promote the growth of native tall grasses, to minimize the need to use time, equipment, and fuel to maintain these open fields, and so that park visitors can get a feeling for the battlefield as it was during the Civil War. The burns were conducted over three days, March 11, 12 & 20. The area to be burned is located in the Spotsylvania Courthouse Unit of Fredricksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park, Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Several fields are partially bounded by blacktop road and all are fuel model 1 and 3. The area consists of warm season native grasses, patchy cool season exotic grasses, and patchy shrub/scrub species to a height of 3-4feet. Red maples Acer rubrum and Forsythia (partially shady area) were beginning to bloom as of March 9&10. As of March 18th, bradford pear Pyrus calleryana was approximately 15-20% in bloom and lilacs in a partially shady area) had just begun leafing out. The saplings coming up in the fields had swollen buds, and cool season grasses (mainly the Fescue Festuca rubra were green). Red bud Cercis Canadensis were in full bloom on April 3rd, April 6th, dogwood Cornus florida flowers were just starting to open (about 15-25%), and spring beauties Claytonia virginica were completely open.