AgEBB-MU CAFNR Extension
Green Horizons
Volume 21, Number 3
Fall 2017
Agroforestry
Online Mapping Tools for Land Users
By Doug Wallace| NRCS Forester (retired)
As a land user or land owner, many times the idea or need of having a map or resource information covering some aspect of the land that you own or manage comes up. Fortunately with the current array of online tools, converting that idea or need into a usable document is now a real option. But, how or where to get started can be a stumbling factor. Below are three websites to help you get started developing and printing a number of useful and informative maps and retrieve data for your use in managing your property.
Peter F. Drucker, a famous management specialist liked to say, "What's measured improves". In other words, the more you know about your land, the easier it will be to make informed management decisions. These three sites should help you move in that direction and ultimately support your efforts to maximize the understanding of your property and its resources.
1. Web Soil Survey.
Web Soil Survey (WSS) provides soil data and information produced by the National Cooperative Soil
Survey. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) maintains this site and provides access to the largest natural resource information system in the world.
NRCS has soil maps and data available online for all of Missouri's counties.
The site is updated annually and maintained online as the single authoritative source of soil survey information.
WSS allows you to select the information on the following:
Map units for your geographic area of interest
Information relevant to your land use concerns; e.g., grassland, forest land or cropland
Downloadable soil survey data for use in a local geographic information system (GIS).
Soil maps for your area using color imagery or a topographic map as a backdrop.
Tables of soil property data and interpretations related to your area of interest
Custom soil resource reports (in PDF).
2. My Land Plan.
My Land Plan, provided by the American Forest Foundation (AFF), is a resource for woodland owners to help protect and enjoy their woods. AFF works on behalf of family forest owners around the country who want to ensure their woods stay healthy.
Easy to use tools guide you to map your land, set goals, keep a journal and connect with other woodland owners and foresters. The exclusive Land Plan tool gives you easy ways to get more involved with keeping your woods healthy. After you create a profile, you will have access to the Land Plan tool, an exclusive area of the website.
The planning tool lets you:
Map the boundaries of your land
Add features and special sites like trails, special trees and other favorite spots
Set goals and plan actions to protect and care for your land
Receive information specially tailored for what you want to do on your land
Record your actions and experiences in your own personalized forest journal.
3. Community Commons.
Community Commons is an interactive mapping, networking, and learning platform for broad-
based healthy, sustainable, and livable communities. The organizations that manage it are the Institute for People, Place and Possibility, the Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES - MU), and Community Initiatives. This site provides public access to thousands of meaningful data layers that allow mapping and reporting capabilities so you can thoroughly explore your
area of interest. This site allows you to enhance the management of your land with maps and data reports that can be shared and saved. When you visit their Map Room, it takes just a few clicks and you are on your way to looking at visual data in your area of interest. You can also see their full data list. Once you have made a map, you can save it privately to your profile or save and share it with your friends and family
Find these resources online: