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Restoring the Historic Landscape
On two days in November, a dozen hardy volunteers from the Friends of Valley Forge Park, Lockheed Martin, and others joined park staff to plant 177 young trees. Funded by a grant from the NPS Olmsted Center for Cultural Landscapes, the new trees were planted along Outer Line Drive and in the Washington’s Headquarters area.
Through the first half of the 20th century, Outer Line Drive was lined with American elms, almost all of which were killed by Dutch Elm Disease starting in the 1950s. One elm survives opposite the Massachusetts monument, and gives an idea of how beautiful these trees were. The new plantings of native oaks, maples, lindens, and Kentucky coffee trees provides a mix of species that should better resist the many pests and diseases to which our temperate zone is increasingly vulnerable. Restoration of the tree allēe is the first in a series of planned projects to restore the historic landscape of the park.
At the Washington’s Headquarters area, new trees were planted as part of the overall rehabilitation that has been underway for two years and that is almost complete. Trees are used there to frame views to the Schuylkill River, to shade new entrance walkways, and to screen the parking area.
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