Trees Lose on Manassas Battlefield

Yet some preservationists continue to link the two and remain concerned that the study will provide justification to chop down an additional 200 acres of previously identified forest land.

"You don't have to rip down trees to provide a decent view of critical events," Way said. "That's excessive."

Last fall, the Park Service clear-cut about 140 acres of trees in an area of the battlefield known as Deep Cut. The heavily forested land is deep in the northwestern part of the park. Park officials determined that the trees needed to come down to maintain a sense of authenticity at the site.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality declared the "basic oak-hickory forest type," which is limited to a six-county area in Northern Virginia and Maryland, globally uncommon to rare. The department recommended alternatives to cutting the forest down as part of its environmental assessment.

The Park Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, solicited comment from the public and state agencies when it released its draft general management plan and environmental impact statement. But the federal agency ultimately controls what happens on its grounds.

"What we have is a compromise. It's not a complete restoration. We know we can't take it back to the way it was during the Civil War," Brown said. "It presents a conflict between managing natural and historic resources."

James I. Robertson Jr., a Virginia Tech history professor, said he understands the importance of restoring the landscape as a way to help tell the story of what happened during the two battles.

"The field has got to be preserved -- that's non-debatable," he said. Cutting down trees is the equivalent to "committing one of the 10 deadly sins. That used to be a major no-no."

The Park Service's attempt to hold on to its land is a worthy battle, Robertson said, he's just not sure how practical it is try to maintain views.

"You can't stop progress in that respect. You can't stunt the ground simply to protect views. I think that's unrealistic," he said. "When you are dealing with a developer's dollar, it's generally a no-win situation. County boards are moved by tax dollars more than respect for history."