[Talk-us] Tagging National Forests

[Mike Thompson]

On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 1:36 PM, Wolfgang Zenker <wolfgang at lyxys.ka.sub.org>
wrote:

> * OSM Volunteer stevea <steveaOSM at softworkers.com> [160509 20:23]:
> > This might sound glib, but I believe that setting landuse=forest on a
> (multi)polygon which is land use forest is correct. [..]
>
> I guess everyone would agree with that. The problem is that we (as in
> "the mappers of OpenStreetMap") don't agree on what landuse=forest
> actually means. As far as I remember we have one group that thinks
> its an area set aside for growing and harvesting timber, so it can
> be recognized by the presence of (planted) trees or the remains of
> trees that have been recently harvested and will be replaced by newly
> planted trees soon(-ish); and another group defining it as an area
> where timber or small wood can be legally harvested or collected,
> regardless of trees being actually or at least possibly present.
> For forests using the second definition you would have to follow
> official boundaries, which might be difficult to verify on the ground.
>
I think there is a group (with whom I do not agree) that thinks that
anything administered by the US Forest Service or similar agencies in other
governments, should be tagged as landuse=forest. Just because a piece of
land is administered by an agency with "forest" in its name does not mean
that the land in question is used for "forestry" (growing and harvesting of
trees). For example, there are areas administered by the US National Forest
Service where timber harvesting is forbidden, such as in wilderness
areas[1][2].



>
> My personal preference would be to take up mapping areas covered by
> trees as landcover=trees and rendering these areas the way that
> landuse=forest is currently rendered, to map National Forests with
> an administrative boundary and just rendering the boundary line and
> deprecate landuse=forest altogether.
>
+1, although "natural=wood" is well entrenched.

Mike

[1] e.g. http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/recarea/?recid=80803
[2] "In general, the law prohibits logging,mining, mechanized vehicles
(including bicycles), road-building, and other forms of development in
wilderness areas, though pre-existing mining claims and grazing ranges are
permitted through grandfather clauses in the Wilderness Act.[9] Wilderness
areas fall into IUCN protected area management category Ia (Strict Nature
Preserves) or Ib (Wilderness areas)." -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Wilderness_Preservation_System
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