Forest Management Plan for Morristown National Historical Park

Patterson, William

The historic vegetation at the time of the encampment in 1779/80 is believed to have been mature hardwood forests dominated by American chestnut, oaks and hickory. Most stands existing at that time were cut by soldiers who built log huts and harvested fuelwood for cooking and warmth. Much of the Park area was used as cropland or wooded pasture through the mid 19 th century, when a regional decline in agriculture following the Civil War lead to abandonment of many fields and pastures. Some agricultural activities persisted on lands now within Park boundaries, but most of these had ended by the early 20th century. Decline of the chestnut due to blight in the first two decades of the 20t11 century prompted salvage cuts which probably included at least some stems of associated species. Today, most of the park landscape is dominated by maturing stands of hardwoods. Areas held in fields until the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries are occupied by "successional" stands dominated, by tulip poplar and other shade intolerant hardwoods. Understories of most stands have little regeneration and some are dominated by exotic shrub species.