Every Hardt Forestry Forest Management Plan includes a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) map. GIS maps provide indispensible usefulness as a management tool. Each map is designed to meet your specific forest management objectives, such as compliance with Vermont's Current Use Value Appraisal Program and the USDA NRCS Conservation Management Plan map specifications, as well as resource management, habitat conservation, education, and recreational use.

GIS maps serve as highly accurate representations of the landscape; they eliminate much of the inherent error associated with traditional drafted maps. A GIS map is a database of information that can be accessed and updated at any time. By viewing the juxtaposition of habitat, timber stands, water courses, and forest roads, along with their associated numerical values (acreage, distance, etc.), land-use decisions can be made efficiently and effectively.

Sample GIS Forest Management Map

Forest Management Map. © Luke W. Hardt. All Rights Reserved. Within the property bounds of this map, forest stands (natural communities) are delineated into polygons with yellow lines. The acreage and forest type of each polygon appear in a chart at the bottom right hand corner. Primary roads, secondary roads, water sources, and sensitive areas also appear on this map, making it a crucial tool in forest management.

GIS Map Attributes: The following attributes commonly appear on my GIS maps. They can be displayed as transparent layers over color orthophotos or as solid layers with unique graphic representatives.

• property boundaries & boundary monumentation

• acreage

• roads, trails and access roads

• forest types

• Ecologically Significant Treatment Areas (ESTAs)

• cultural resources

• rare vegetation

• mammalian and avian species

• soils (provided through state database)

• wetlands

• riparian buffer zones

• streams

• seeps

• ledges

GIS Mapping Procedure: Using state of the art GPS equipment, I locate the exact positions of the attributes being mapped. Then, using GIS software, I create layer files for each attribute. These layer files are then used to create the final map that can be viewed as a hard copy, digital PDF, or as an interactive GIS map. Relevant information about each layer, such as acreage and distances, are included with the final map. There are three main methods I use to collect the planimetry data necessary for each layer file: ground-based data collection, trigonometric calculations, and incorporation of other pre-existing map layers.