Meadow Management at Valley Forge

Fighting Invasive Plants

Invasive plants are destroying habitat for native species in the meadows at Valley Forge. Restoring meadow landscapes helps to preserve native biodiversity and also protects scenic open spaces providing recreational, educational, and cultural opportunities for local residents and park visitors alike.

 

The Grand Parade meadow near Muhlenberg's Brigade in early autumn.

NPS Photo / G. Purifoy

Habitat, Clean Water & Rich Soils

Meadows and grasslands are vital to the natural and cultural heritage of Valley Forge and southeastern Pennsylvania. They provide important habitat for many bird species and for pollinators like moths, butterflies, and bees. They improve water quality and enrich the soils.

Meadows also need consistent intervention, whether by natural processes or by human ones. They need regular grazing, fire, mowing, or other interventions either natural or managed by humans, in order to remain meadows.

Eastern Grasslands Initiative

During this year and next year, Valley Forge National Historical Park has the opportunity to treat its largest and most culturally significant meadow, the Grand Parade, as part of a larger project called the NPS Eastern Grasslands Initiative.

With more than 30 parks participating in the project, restoration work will help preserve the beauty and history of impoartant cultural landscapes like the Grand Parade. Due to the resources afforded by the NPS Eastern Grasslands Initiative, Valley Forge can achieve success over a much larger area than usually possible during most years, resulting in improved habitat sooner rather than later.

 

Beginning in the summer of 2026, multiple herbicide applications will prepare the Grand Parade meadow for native seed planting.

NPS Graphic

 

Herbicide Treatments in the Grand Parade (Summer and Fall 2026)

Valley Forge National Historical Park uses several methods to manage meadows as high-quality habitat for native wildlife—including mowing, haying, native plant seeding, and manual and chemical removal of non-native invasive plants.

During the summer and fall of 2026, contracted and permitted companies will be treating selected meadows with herbicides (see map for locations).

The herbicides used to treat the Grand Parade have been selected to remove most of the existing vegetation, predominantly invasive species. Over the course of several rounds of herbicide application, invasive species and their seeds will be removed. At various points during this process the Grand Parade will be sown with a cover crop, which will add some green to the landscape.

After the invasive plants and their seeds in the soil have been removed, we will start fresh and plant a robust and diverse native seed mix. In the short term, herbicide treatments will result in visible dead vegetation, but ultimately, the native seed will take hold and native plant species will predominate.

 

Trail closure highlighted in red in the meadow restoration site on the Grand Parade.

NPS Graphic

Trail Closures during Grand Parade Herbicide Treatments

Closures on a portion of the Grand Parade Trail are required during herbicide treatments. Trail closures will include the sections of trail from the Steuben Statue parking lot to the middle of the meadow and back to Baptist Trace Road.

Flagging and signage will be posted around the treatment area. Visitors should not enter the area during treatment.

During the restoration project, multiple herbicide applications will result in multiple brief closures of the Grand Parade Trail. Check the park's social media and alerts page for up-to-date information on upcoming trail closures.

 

Sleep, Creep, Leap stages of a grassland. Rebuilding a grassland is a long-term process, and grasslands need ongoing care to stay healthy.

NPS Graphic/Anastasia Seckers

Sleep, Creep, Leap!

Nearly 40 grasses and flowers were chosen for Valley Forge! But grasslands plants take time to grow. New seeds are planted after herbicide treatments are complete. This officially starts the clock as we wait for the grasslands to Sleep, Creep, and Leap!

During the SLEEP stage, these new plants spend their first year developing strong root systems underground. It may look like nothing is happening at first, but they are building a solid foundation.

In the next year, plants start to CREEP upwards, becoming noticeable that things are starting to change.

By the 3rd year, waiting has paid off as grasslands flourish above ground later. The grasses and flowers LEAP up and out, helping to restore the natural grassland landscape.

 

Select meadows in Valley Forge National Historical Park will undergo herbicide treatments conducted by contracted and permitted companies.

NPS Image

Additional Treatments in Select Meadows

In addition to the Grand Parade work, we are continuing with efforts from herbicide and native seed planting last year in the other targeted fields (in orange on the map). In these fields, the herbicide will not affect grasses but will target invasive woody species like autumn-olive, oriental bittersweet, Japanese honeysuckle, Callery pear, and Himalayan blackberry.

These treatments will provide the space needed for native grasses and flowers to grow, which in turn will better support native insects and birds.

Flagging and signage are posted in the meadows that are being treated to warn visitors.

Park staff will continue to monitor the meadows throughout the year to evaluate the success of treatments and native plant and wildlife response.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did you pick the fields that are being treated?

The meadows managed by Valley Forge National Historical Park have been ranked in terms of current and potential habitat value. We prioritize treatments in these high priority meadows. Factors that influence how meadows are ranked include size, historical biodiversity, current biodiversity, potential biodiversity, and cultural and interpretive values.

Why not use fire or some other tool?

While fire is a great tool for meadow management in some places, park staff have determined that the dense suburban environment surrounding Valley Forge, especially with residential areas and a children’s hospital less than 2 miles from the park, fire is not an appropriate tool at Valley Forge National Historical Park.

Why is such a large area being treated all at once?

Treating large areas at one time is more efficient for cost and labor for heavily infested areas. Treating large areas also means a lower chance of invasive plant seed from outside of the treated area making its way back into the treated area.

How will this impact the animals / plants? Won’t they disappear?

The herbicides used have low or no acute toxicity for animals. These treatments will remove non-native plants, and those will be replaced by native plants. Native pollinators, such as butterflies, need native plants for their larval food sources. Removing non-native plants leads to more native plants and native insects, which in turn feeds more native birds. In the short term, some cover and food may be lost, but in the long term, as non-native plants are replaced by native plants, there will be more food for native animals, and cover will return.

Is the herbicide toxic to me, my pet, wildlife?

The herbicides used have low or no acute toxicity for animals. Short-term effects on wildlife are minimal and are outweighed by long-term habitat improvements. Applicators will use a blue colorant and/or flags to indicate areas treated. The herbicides are not toxic if visitors and their pets stay out of treated areas while the flags are still up.

What about monarchs?

Native milkweeds are the plants required by monarch larvae. At any one time, there are several fields not being treated that have milkweed plants. Additionally, large milkweed patches in treated fields are avoided when applying herbicides. Our seed mixes that are planted after treatments include native milkweed. In the long run, treatments will result in more milkweed available for monarch larvae and more nectar plants available for adult monarchs.

 

Rebuilding a grassland takes many years. Sometimes changes are subtle, but with time and care, these area will grow and recover.

NPS Graphic/Anastasia Seckers