Alberta Historical Forest Inventory Maps from 1956-1966

The Phase 2 Detailed Forest Inventory is a provincial-level forest inventory conducted by the Government of Alberta. It utilized aerial photography from 1956 to 1966 to map commercial timber lands not covered by the earlier Phase 1 inventory, capturing species composition, stand density, heights, site class, and maturity. Volume estimates were available by cover type, species, and diameter class, with maps produced at scales of 1:31,680 and 1:15,840.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical species composition based on the species composition attribute.
• Model forest stand density and heights based on the stand density and stand heights attributes.
• Estimate timber volume by cover type and species based on the volume estimates described.
• Study forest maturity and establishment year based on the maturity or year of stand establishment attribute.
• Map historical forest cover at a detailed scale based on the 1:31,680 and 1:15,840 map scales.

Strengths

• Inventory covers lands with commercial timber commitments not inventoried in Phase 1.
• Detailed information includes species composition, stand density, heights, site class, and maturity.
• Volume estimates are available by cover type, species, and diameter class.
• Aerial photography from a defined period (1956 to 1966) provides a temporal baseline.

Limitations

• Maps are not available as geo-referenced rectified images or GIS-ready data.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Government of Alberta

Collection Method

Utilized aerial photography and field inventory.

Time Range

1956-1966

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-17 14:46:22.556636; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Province of Alberta, specifically lands west of the 6th Meridian and the eastern slopes from Township 2 to Township 47.