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