Assessing tradeoffs between current and desired vegetation condition in a National Park using historical maps and high‐resolution lidar data

Abstract

In the United States, National Park Service Civil War battlefield units are managed for both historical accuracy (i.e. to represent landscape conditions at the time of the conflict for historical interpretation), and for natural resource protection. However, managing for both goals can create conflicts as many battlefields were largely open or in second growth forests historically, but now harbor significant forest resources after more than 100 years of preservation. Managing for historical accuracy therefore may require maintenance of the landscape in a successional stage out of phase with the current landscape. We use historical landscape maps and current high‐resolution forest structure data derived from lidar to examine tradeoffs in returning the landscape of a major Civil War battlefield (Wilderness Battlefield) to conditions present at the time of the battle. We demonstrate that National Park battlefield units can harbor significant forest resources in contrast to the surrounding landscape, especially in areas of intense commercial, urban, and suburban development. Managing for or restoring landscapes to historical conditions could have important ecological implications.