Geospatial Technologies Supporting Resource Management in the Forest Service:
Issues and Accomplishments

Issues being addressed by Forest Service geospatial capabilities include: catastrophic wildland fires, off-highway vehicle use, and loss of open space. Accomplishments include the Forest Service Geospatial Clearinghouse and the National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) that produces recent 1-meter color imagery on a 3-year update cycle. Imagery for the Nation will be a follow-on program after NAIP. FS Print on Demand provides Forest Service intranet users with access to large scale custom topographic maps. The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) approved a new vegetation classification standard in March 2008. Future geospatial efforts will address the issue of global change.