FT 13

Battlefield Ecology

The National Park Service manages some of the key Civil War battlefields in and around the National Capital Region. Participants will visit Antietam National Battlefield to get a taste for the rich history and learn about natural resource management techniques used to manage a variety of historic landscapes. Major focus will be on wood lot management and deer management.

 

Antietam National Battlefield commemorates the single bloodiest day of the American Civil War (23,110 casualties). The battlefield, located in the Great Valley region of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley province, encompasses over 3,250 acres of farmland, pastures, woodlots and limestone forests. In 1992, the Antietam National Battlefield General Management Plan was approved, outlining goals for restoring the battlefield to its 1862 appearance. The plan includes projects such as replanting of historic woodlots and orchards, re-establishing original fencelines, lanes and trails, as well as maintaining the integrity of the historic farmsteads.