Phase 3 Maps: Alberta Historical Forest Inventory from Aerial Photography

The Phase 3 Forest Inventory Program commenced in 1970 and data collection was completed in 1984. It was initiated by the Alberta Forestry, Lands and Wildlife Department to facilitate forest management plans and revision of annual allowable cuts. The inventory covers Alberta's Green Area and fringe areas minus specific excluded units.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical forest cover types based on aerial photography interpretation mentioned in the description
• Study changes in forest management units and annual allowable cuts based on the inventory's stated purpose
• Map the extent of Alberta's Green Area and fringe areas circa 1970-1984 based on the described spatial coverage

Strengths

• Inventory initiated by a government department (Alberta Forestry, Lands and Wildlife) for official management purposes
• Data collection spanned a defined period from 1970 to 1984
• Cover types were interpreted from aerial photography at a scale of 1:15,000

Limitations

• Maps are not available as geo-referenced rectified images or GIS-ready data
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• The spatial extent excludes specific Forest Management Units and other areas, limiting completeness

Provenance

Source

Government of Alberta

Collection Method

Cover types interpreted from aerial photography (mainly 1:15,000 black and white) to generate a hardcopy map base.

Time Range

1970 to 1984

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-17 14:48:03.892972; freshness should be verified

Geography

Alberta's Green Area and fringe areas at that time, minus excluded units (A13, F10, F20, L9, Federal Indian Reserves, Wilderness Areas)