[Talk-GB] Tagging farmland in the UK

[Warin]

On 23/05/19 04:52, James Derrick wrote:
> Hi,
>
> For about three years I've been adding field-level detail to 
> Northumberland spreading out from the main conurbations, into to the 
> rural network of farms and up into the higher hill areas where I walk 
> and cycle.
>
> As well as adding field boundaries and farm settlement detail, I've 
> been adding land use detail, which has just started a discussion with 
> Gregory (Living with Dragons).
>
> https://www.openstreetmap.org/changeset/70502558
>
> I've been differentiating between cultivated areas mainly ploughed for 
> crops and areas of grass used to graze animals.
>
> If I understand Gregory's comment (and well accept this may be 
> incorrect...), the crux seems to be the use of landuse=farmland verses 
> landuse=meadow.
>
>
> Can I ask what are you thoughts on (any) difference and best practice 
> for the UK please?
>
>
> My interpretation (right or wrong) has been...
>
> landuse=meadow : grassy areas, not regularly ploughed, used for 
> grazing animals such as cows or sheep.
> Evidence on imagery - cows, sheep, lack of tractor compaction tracks, 
> medieval ridge/ furrow.
>
> landuse=farmland : cultivated areas ploughed for crops such as wheat 
> or barley.
> Evidence on imagery - tractor compaction, ripening wheat, no animals.
>
> This is not a rigorous definition - e.g. a green field of barley 
> without tractor tramlines could look like an empty field without 
> sheep, but with local knowledge of cultivation, height, etc., my 
> intention was to show differences as rich arable lowland areas fade 
> into less fertile higher ground.
>
>
> As the altitude rises into the Northumberland National Park, sheep on 
> grass gradually changes to open moorland, which, whilst you're reading 
> this, is also worth a sanity check.
>
> landuse = heath : heather, and other low shrubs, formerly burnt but 
> now cut, high hills

Heath and heather are not land uses. What next? landuse= hill : cliff : 
beach : mud ?
>
> And no, I wasn't avoiding natural = fell as it doesn't render in 
> Mapnik; there was a lot of existing heath sketched in before I 
> started, so it seemed best to continue!

Tag the truth .. don't tag for some render, tempting though it is.