GIS AND MOBILE MAPPING FOR FOREST RESOURCE PLANNING
Forest Resource Plans (FRP) are used by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to support the delivery of sustainable forest management using an ecosystem approach. They set out long-term objectives and are the basis for 10-year programmes of work. The plans are a requirement for forest certification and form the basis for regulatory approval for the work required. They are a key tool for supporting communication with stakeholders.
GSD associates are expert foresters and we worked closely utilising our GIS expertise to produce an FRP for NRW in the North Wales region. To do this, we started by reviewing the existing plans for the forest taking into regard any relevant policies, legislation and guidance. Next, we carried out a detailed silvicultural survey on the forest using our extensive forestry experience.
Throughout the process, various maps and reports were created that were required by our clients. To make sure that the maps generated matched the reports generated for other plans we carefully copied the styling and formatting used.
Once the initial field work and assessment of existing datasets was carried out and maps produced using GSD GIS consultants, both internal (to our client) and external stakeholders were engaged with for the consultation stage. The results from this then fed into the final plan for the forest. From this, GSD and Associates then developed the final FRP Objectives, relating to the different aspects and areas of the forest.