forinc@
foresters-inc.com

PO Box 11750
Blacksburg, VA
24062
540-951-2094
Fax: 540-951-0223

Mapping your forest resources is a critical step in effective management. At one level, it provides you with clear pictures of your property so that you can see what and where your resources are. But more importantly, at least for management, it allows us to work together to manage each unique section (or "stand") in the way that best meets your goals.

The mapping process and its final outcomes involve a series of stages:

• Preliminary Stand Typing - Using deeds to determine your property boundaries, we work with aerial photographs and topographic maps to locate important features (e.g. streams and roads) and determine preliminary stand types. We use this information, along with your objectives and statistical sampling methods, to design an inventory method appropriate to your project.

• Field Work - With maps in hand, we conduct an on-the-ground inventory to gather accurate data about your property and resources.

• Stand Definition - Back in the office, we use the inventory data, including GPS coordinates, field measurements, and observations, to refine the stand definitions on the topographic map.

• Digital Mapping - In the final step, we digitize the stand information to provide a detailed stand map of your property showing various forest types and key features. Each colored area on the topographic map below represents a different forest stand.

We include these maps with your inventory report, and can link them to a GIS electronically as appropriate.