Upfront: Historic restoration
The cover story for this issue of Outdoor Power Equipment is a bit of a departure from our typical editorial focus, but appropriate nonetheless with the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg taking place in 2013. The article, which is also being published in Green Media sister publications Landscape and Irrigation, Arbor Age and SportsTurf, examines the amazing landscape restoration, tree care and grounds maintenance efforts that have been — and continue to be — accomplished by the staff at Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP).
To help the public better understand the soldiers’ experiences on the battlefield, the rehabilitation efforts have included removing non-historic trees, planting trees, maintaining historic woodlots, building fences, re-establishing grasslands, restoring wetlands, and improving habitat.
As 2013 marks the sesquicentennial of the battle, we at Green Media felt this is the perfect time to draw attention to the battlefield rehabilitation work that has taken place at Gettysburg.
According to Randy Hill, supervisor of the landscape preservation branch, Gettysburg NMP, the staff at Gettysburg does not want to appear to endorse any specific type or brand of equipment, but they utilize a wide range of equipment to maintain the park and battlefield — including chain saws, tractors, brush cutters, sprayers, mowing equipment, and much more. Their equipment is sourced from several Gettysburg-area outdoor power equipment dealerships.
Those unsung dealers, and many others, have helped impact the in-depth landscape restoration work that has been performed throughout the past 13-plus years.
The equipment utilized has helped the maintenance crews at Gettysburg NMP fight a battle against time and nature in order to restore this historic landscape.
Our family of publications is proud to recognize their efforts, and we hope that the cover story fuels your interest in this important piece of American history.
