Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park Spotsylvania Court House Field Management Plan

Natural Resources Manager

This Field Management Plan (FMP) is a strategic document that will define a program to manage the open fields within the core area of Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park (FRSP). The management of fields is an important aspect of park administration. Open field patterns have the ability to affect the aesthetic, cultural and natural values of a park. This is especially true in a park such as FRSP where the interpretation of its cultural landscapes is such an integral part of its mission. However, as a part of the National Park Service, this park must also preserve as much of its natural values and processes as possible. FRSP staff currently devotes significant time and effort managing vegetation in various areas of the park to maintain visitor use areas, roadsides and cultural landscapes. Maintenance workers struggle to complete the mowing and trimming throughout these maintained areas. However, as park acreages increase along with resource constraints, priorities must be set, and these operations must be achieved at maximum efficiency. In addition, through the years, the environmental community and the National Park Service (NPS) have gained knowledge on the value of species diversity and ecological processes. The NPS mandate is to preserve these values wherever possible, and maintain its grounds in an environmentally protective manner. This document will only be used to manage areas that are currently open (non-forested) areas, and will not consider, as part of this document, any reforestation or deforestation to restore the historic scene. Any of these actions will require another document with supporting documentation in the form of Cultural Landscape Reports or Inventories.