The Forest Stewardship Site Plan is a map of our property that includes both current and future projected forest/usage characteristics. It’s one of the more important parts of a Forest Stewardship Plan since it tells a story and includes lots of information at a quick glance.

I used Adobe Photoshop to create the site plan, starting with the base level of a surveyor’s parcel map and building up from there. By using Photoshop, I could save the file and directly make changes to the layout elements plus add/subtract as needed. This initial version will almost surely change in the future as we refine our overall plan. Also, I will still need to include a mapping of distinct forest stands across the property (determined either by different mixes of trees or by different use/management practices).

Recommended contents of a good site plan:

Overview:

  • Owners’ names
  • Parcel number
  • Acreage
  • Author of site map
  • Date site map created

Base map:

  • North arrow
  • Property boundaries
  • Water boundaries (fresh water, salt water)
  • Property dimensions
  • Scale
  • Legend

Forested area:

  • Roads, driveways, trails, skid trails, parking areas
  • Culverts, bridges
  • Topographic features (ravine, hill, sinkhole)
  • Forest stands (differentiated by species composition, age, etc.); can be numbered and identified separately with a legend
  • Areas that will be enrolled in current use taxation programs (delineated in feet and acres)
  • Topography (can be from GIS map or topo map)

Excluded Area (other than forest classification/taxation areas):

  • Buildings
  • Land use
  • Drain fields
  • Well
  • Fences, rock walls, utility poles, pipelines
  • Identify area dimensions in feet and acres
  • Property lines, easements, sensitive areas, native growth protection area
  • Roads, driveways, trails, parking areas (paved, gravel, or dirt)
  • Gardens, lawns, pastures, orchards, swimming pool
  • May be larger scale / detail than site plan sketch
  • Topography (contour lines to show elevation)
  • Unique, natural, historical, or archaeological resources
  • April 2008

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