“I’ve only been to Gettysburg once and don’t claim to be a real scholar.
But, the guides were constantly repeating that you would be able to understand better if the huge numbers of postwar trees were not in the way.”
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In the 19080’s it was park policy to allow a band of trees to grow up between the park and development/the town. The park service solicited and accepted donations of thousands of trees.
Now they are cutting down these trees so “you can see what the soldiers saw.” (plus cutting down lots of other trees)
EXCEPT you will not see what the soldiers saw. Your sight line will be obstructed by lots of things that were not there in 183 — shopping centers, subdivisions, McDonald’s, Friendly’s, the junky back end of museums, etc. etc., plus all the trees on that private property.
The park has no sense of the memorial aspect of the battlfield.
Where the sight line will not be improved and cutting down trees will only expose junk and private buildings that block the view, the trees should remain.
That said, I agree that there was very little thought applied when deciding what went into the monument and what could remain outside for developers etc. to play with.
IIRC the original objective is outside the park and has trucks parked on it.