Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park natural resource condition assessment

Mahan, Carolyn; Young, John

The NRCA for FRSP was initiated informally in March 2011 and officially in October 2011 (funding was secured in early 2012). At these initial meetings, we met with FRSP natural and cultural resources staff and resource experts to gather pertinent natural resource information in the form of raw data sets, inventory and monitoring reports, historic photographs, and current vegetation classification. In addition, we gathered information from outside historical sources (e.g., Scott 1985, Priest 1995, Rhea 2007) to provide a landscape context at the time of the Civil War. Following these initial data gathering meetings, we coarsely examined data provided and held a subsequent meeting in March 2012 and developed a project outline for the NRCA that focused on the following (5) topics and justification: Topic 1: Forest habitats - largest, continuous patches and other significant forest elements should be identified and protected. Topic 2: Grassland and early successional habitats - these habitats should be maintained at current level or expanded (if culturally significant) in the park and early successional, transitional, shrubland habitats should be encouraged along forested/grassland edges. Topic 3: Streams and riparian areas - water quality of streams, seeps, and wetlands should be examined and maintained and/or improved if necessary. Topic 4: Wetland habitats and rare plant species should be identified, mapped, and protected. Topic 5: Cultural/landscape restoration areas. In this document we examine the current state of these resource topics from a natural perspective and, if appropriate, a cultural perspective. In many cases, we also list potential threats to each resource and suggest management recommendations to protect or ensure their maintenance or restoration, if applicable, to the natural resource of interest. Information contained in this report has been synthesized from the aforementioned meetings, natural resource reports and publications, and unpublished data sets. As stated, this report is a contextual synthesis of information, therefore, it does not repeat findings of all natural resource studies conducted in the park, although references to those studies are provided.

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park natural resource condition assessment

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