My iPhone GPS proved to be at least as precise as this handheld GPS receiver.Ī GPS receiver can be used to map them.
Mature timber in the southwest section obscures roads and trails in this aerial view. Major roads stand out on the aerial photo, but walking the tract we’ve come across numerous secondary roads, trails and a small pond that are obscured by the canopy when looking at the aerial image. On a recent visit to the Matteson Forest my goal was to map the roads and trails in the southern half of the property. Yellow polygon approximates the property boundary. This enabled me to draw the Matteson property boundaries on my map with reasonable accuracy, by tracing the taxlot lines. In addition to all the standard features of Google Earth, the Pro version shows tax lot boundaries and allows you to calculate the area of a polygon that you draw.
#GOOGLE EARTH PRO TRAIL FOR FREE#
I recommend the Pro version of Google Earth, which is now available for free (a recent change). For those that are not, Tristan Huff (OSU Extension Forester on the south coast) has developed a useful tutorial for landowners. Some woodland owners are already familiar with Google Earth. In this article I’ll describe how I’ve been using these two applications, which I think would be useful to most woodland owners who don’t have GIS at their fingertips. While in the woods, I’ve been using a GPS app on my smartphone to keep track of where I am and to record points and paths. In the meantime, I’ve been using Google Earth to create my own map, adding information as I continue to explore the tract. 180 acres is a lot to get to know! As is the case with any new woodland owner, we need a map to help orient ourselves while on the property, and to keep track of where different roads and trails lead.Įventually, the OSU College Forests staff will create a GIS map of the Matteson Forest with various spatial layers – property boundaries, roads, forest types, culverts, and so forth. One of the first orders of business on the Matteson Demonstration Forest is getting to know the lay of the land. By Amy Grotta, OSU Forestry & Natural Resources Extension – Columbia, Washington, & Yamhill Counties This must be the end of the road…