Abstract
This historical map series consists of the Phase 1 Broad Scale Forest Inventory printed monochrome maps named using the National Topographic System (NTS) map sheet identifier within Alberta. The series is now available as a fee free download in Adobe PDF and Tif formats under the Open Government Licence – Alberta.
During and shortly after the Second World War the demand for lumber and wood products increased dramatically. This resulted in concern over lack of knowledge about the extent of the provincial forest resource, and led to fears that the timber supply could be easily depleted.
The Phase 1, or Broad Scale, Forest Inventory was initiated in 1949 in response to these concerns. The inventory served as the information base to plan the management of Alberta's forest resource. The Phase 1 (Broad Scale) Forest Inventory included all publicly owned forested lands in the province except;
- First Nation lands,
- national parks, and
- an area known as the Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve.
The Phase 1 (Broad Scale) Forest Inventory was used to define lands suitable for:
- agriculture,
- to determine timber harvest levels, and
- plan forest protection and timber and industrial development.
Through aerial photo interpretation, land was classified as;
- productive,
- potentially productive, or
- non-productive.
On productive forest land, homogeneous groups of trees were classified by "cover types". Cover types included;
- crown density,
- height and,
- tree species.
Burned, harvested or cultivated land was identified as potentially productive. Non-productive lands included areas with;
- organic soils,
- barren rock and,
- lakes.
No ages or site classes are associated with the polygons. The minimum polygon size was 65 ha.
These maps are not available as geo-referenced rectified images or GIS-ready data.
Map Coverage and How to View
View extent of the coverage of this product:
- Phase 1 (Broad Scale) Forest Inventory Index Map (PDF, 1.4 MB)
Generally these maps are printed on 91.44 x 106.68 cm (36" x 42") paper size.
This product can be viewed on a computer, printed or be plotted in part or in whole. To maintain the original map scale (1:40 000) when printing the entire product, it must be plotted on a plotter that can use paper that is a minimum width of 106.68 cm (42").
Map Series Updates and Samples
This series is not updated and contains a range of publication dates.
View a sample Phase 1 Broad Scale Forest Inventory map sheet:
- Sample of Phase 1 Broad Scale Forest Inventory Map (PDF, 1.6 MB)
Map Sheet Download: Open Government
The map series is available as a fee free download under the Open Government Licence - Alberta.
To download Phase 1 Broad Scale Forest Inventory map sheets, click the desired 1:250 000 NTS block. All maps contained within a 1:250 000 block (generally up to 16 map sheets) will be included in the NTS Block download. Each map sheet is provided in Adobe PDF or Tif format within a downloadable WinZip file. Please note: each zipped map sheet package varies in size with 30mb's being an average size.
View the 1: 250 000 NTS map sheet index to determine map sheet number identifiers:
- 1: 250 000 NTS Index (PDF, 152 KB)
PLEASE NOTE: Your use of the information will be governed by the terms of the Open Government Licence - Alberta, in force as of the date you accessed the information.