Maps

[BostonHoward]

I heard from a leprechaun that the Forest Service keeps maps which indicate tree type and age for various stands of forest. I figure that these might be useful for identifying "holy grail" worthy ski glades: especially when combined with GoogleEarth.

Anyone else heard of these maps-- or anything similar?

[Cat in January]

Back in the early 80's I did survey work for the State of Maine on their wood lots. We worked with the paper companies and they had maps like the one you describe, so I would think they may exist for NFS land.

I think you are right they would be very helpful in identifying areas to look into. Let me know if you have any luck.

Like your blog.

[Dr. W. Schlitz]

Depending on your access to mapping software, GRANIT could be your best friend in a quest for the grail:

http://www.granit.unh.edu/

[BostonHoward]

Indeed Cat, my leprechaun worked with the forest service in Vermont in the 80's and 90's.

Thanks Doc for the lead... I'll check that Granit site out.

As for VT, there should be some pretty current info on the recent grants up in the NE Kingdom. I imagine the paper companies kept detailed surveys.

[surfsnowywaves]

The answer is, as always, a muddy yes/no. Yes, the maps exist. Sadly, they're not often recently ground-truthed. Basically, the maps exist, and then the only time someone goes onto the ground to verify them is when they are going to cut. Otherwise, they're simply used as rough planning guides. And the overarching difficulty with the maps is the fact that the overstory isn't what matters at all...its the understory. I've seen pure birch stands you can't ski with a chainsaw on your ski tips, and I've also seen spruce forests that rival the wide open birch glades people dream about. So, you might find the maps less helpful than you expect. This is all coming from a forestry major who had access to GIS software, maps, and too much time for four years. I've tried. Best idea is just hike a lot, explore a lot, and you'll find cool ****.