Putting geography at the heart of the Forestry Commission

If there’s one example of a government body that has fully embraced the potential of GIS to streamline processes, it is the Forestry Commission. As the organisation responsible for managing and regulating almost 12% of Britain’s total land area, the Forestry Commission’s entire business depends on geographic information.

The Forestry Commission directly manages more than one million hectares of publicly-owned land. At the heart of all its operations is the overall stock map, showing how land is used, what types of tree are where and how mature the woodlands are. This stock map enables the Forestry Commission to create an accurate model of how its forests will look in the future, which in turn helps them to plan activities, from felling to planting and path clearing. It means that the woods are accessible to the public, they retain biodiversity, and they remain a source of income, through timber sales.

Following its decision to make ESRI’s GIS platform a main operational tool, the Forestry Commission now plans activity through GIS, equips foresters with devices that enable them to record activity – and so constantly update the stock map – and then uses all this information to manage the forests at both a micro and macro level.

The information is also made available to the public: on the Forestry Commission website, citizens can enter their

nearest town or forest and can find out about forthcoming events, animal habitats, cycle paths, picnic sites and much more. The site links directly to maps of the area, enabling citizens to plan activities, and even view weather forecasts.

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