US Forest Service Data
 Part of United States mapping project.
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This page attempts to document data sources for the US Forest Service Data Import. More information on tagging and status of imports can be found at the following pages:
Data Sources
All National Forests and Grasslands have GIS data and prepared map products available for download, usually limited to the extent of the Forest and/or Grassland. A statement from region 6 (Pacific NW) http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/data-library/gis/disclaimers.shtml says that the data are public domain. There are some files very relevant to OSM (trails; recreation points listing campsites, docks etc) and some not so useful to the normal OSM reader (owl and fish habitats).
Enterprise Data Warehouse
For nationwide dataset extents, see the Enterprise Data Warehouse. The EDW has available for download data at national extents, or access links for data via ESRI REST services (MapServer). Datasets available include boundary files for National Forest proclaimed boundaries and actual ownership, Wilderness Areas, National Grasslands, Wild & Scenic Rivers, and more.
Geospatial Data Discovery Tool
The Forest Service also has implemented the ESRI Open Data Hub, known as the Geospatial Data Discovery Tool. This tool allows filtering nation-wide datasets down to custom extents such as region or forest, or by other specific attribute values.
Other Published Maps
Motor Vehicle Use Maps, FSTopo maps, and Forest Visitor Maps are other published Forest Service map sources. These are available in the Avenza Map Store, by download from Forest Service National, Regional, or Forest websites, or through mobile applications such as the Official National Forest Explorer App in the Apple Store, National Forest & Grasslands Explorer in the Google Play Store. FSTopo's are only available for extent of the National Forest and Grasslands and are similar to USGS Topographic Maps, but include authoritative and updated Forest Service map data such as roads, trails, and recreation sites. FSTopos are known as "Primary" base series maps; "Secondary" base series maps such as the Motor Vehicle Use Maps and Forest Visitor Maps usually are more tailored to individual Forests and have more detailed information for recreational users.
Interactive Visitor Map
USFS Interactive Visitor Map. Visitor Map 2.0, provides the public with an online view of Forest Service roads, trails, recreation sites, wilderness areas, and wild & scenic rivers.
Tagging
See main article - United States/Public lands/Forest Service
Priorities
A way to characterize a prioritized list of things to do in OSM for National Forests might be the following:
- Boundary data should be accurate and recent.
- Wilderness inholding data (if any) should be accurate and recent.
- Other (private) inholdings should be accurate and recent.
- NFs which are substantially or largely forested might realistically be set to landuse=forest. This is a good first step but it vastly preferable to map forest separately as it is a separate object.
- NFs which are not substantially or largely forested can have a landuse (or landcover, if it better emerges and/or is better supported in renderers) tag added to subset areas which accurately depict landuse within those subset areas.
- Trails, campgrounds, POIs, etc. should be updated to be accurate and recent.
Hierarchy tree using super-relations
All National Forests should be constructed as relations. For a given National Forest, consider creating a super-relation, relation:boundary, to collect individual boundary relations for ranger districts (assign role=subarea). This allows including an "admin_centre" node for ranger district and forest headquarters office locations. This hierarchy-tree approach and examples for super-relations are included in the Super-relation/Implementation wiki page. This may assist in resolving rendering errors by reducing the members for each relation, which is recommended to be limited to 300 for better performance. Relation size may become excessive when substituting ownership extent for the proclaimed administrative forest boundary, see August 2020 Talk-US mailing list discussion. Prospective subarea relations may correspond to ranger district boundaries, or further subareas if member count is still excessive. Since National Forests do not have jurisdiction (other than perhaps emergency wildfire response) within the administrative forest boundary, it's believed for best user experiences to limit depiction of national forest extents as ownership (see mailing list discussion). Further division below the ranger district level may allow creating subarea relations that encompass management areas, such as Congressionally-designated wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, or forest plan allocated areas for managed forest (landuse=forest, or higher protection levels protect_class=* such as primitive areas, natural areas, or research areas such as experimental forests.
A proposed full hierarchy to represent the depiction of the National Forest System in OpenStreetMap:
- National Forest System
- Region
- National Forest and/or National Grassland
- Ranger District
- Management Area - this is the division of the National Forest into areas with specific management objectives and use restrictions. Existing spatial data may/may not respect the administrative boundaries of ranger districts. Tagging will vary this level for protection level (e.g. higher for wilderness areas).
- Forest Compartment - The potential exists for creating a relation of collected stand-level ways for Tag:boundary=forest_compartment. Potential US Forest Service Data import source is the Field-Sampled Vegetation (FSVeg) "location" data layer soon to be included in the Enterprise Data Warehouse. For the US Forest Service, compartments are a division of the administrative ranger district boundary and includes both private and public land ownership and do not respect management area boundaries. As a result, the "location" layer is likely a poor choice of a direct import source into OpenStreetMap.
- Forest Stand - tag with some variation of natural=*, e.g. natural=wood, natural=scrub, natural=grassland, natural=wetland, natural=water. Potential US Forest Service Data import source is the Field-Sampled Vegetation (FSVeg) "setting" data layer soon to be included in the Enterprise Data Warehouse. These data layers may include more attribute values for populating leaf_type=*, wetland=*, plant_community=*. Combining settings with the same "location" value and Forest Service-ownership value may be a way to arrive at a suitable relation for Tag:boundary=forest_compartment, unless it is of interest to include ways describing private ownership within the Forest Service administrative boundary.
- Forest Compartment - The potential exists for creating a relation of collected stand-level ways for Tag:boundary=forest_compartment. Potential US Forest Service Data import source is the Field-Sampled Vegetation (FSVeg) "location" data layer soon to be included in the Enterprise Data Warehouse. For the US Forest Service, compartments are a division of the administrative ranger district boundary and includes both private and public land ownership and do not respect management area boundaries. As a result, the "location" layer is likely a poor choice of a direct import source into OpenStreetMap.
- Management Area - this is the division of the National Forest into areas with specific management objectives and use restrictions. Existing spatial data may/may not respect the administrative boundaries of ranger districts. Tagging will vary this level for protection level (e.g. higher for wilderness areas).
- Ranger District
- National Forest and/or National Grassland
- Region
Regions
This map shows the regions the US Forest Service is divided into and the regional office contact information.
National Forest and National Grassland Boundaries
National Forests and Grasslands Proclamation Boundaries are not the same as NF land. In many National Forests and Grasslands, some or most of the land inside the proclamation boundary is not owned by the USFS.
At a basic level, National Forests and Grasslands could be mapped as the proclamation boundaries, but this is more of an administrative boundary rather than a protected area. Within the proclamation boundary, additional lands can be acquired through purchase or accepted as a donation from a partnering organization. Existing Forest Service lands may also be conveyed to non-federal ownership, either in exchange for other lands or outright sale or transfer as surplus lands (Public Law 97-465,"Small Tracts Act" (16 U.S.C. 521c-521i).
Given the sometimes transient nature of federally-owned land managed by the US Forest Service, its best to include in OpenStreetMap only those ownership parcels managed by the US Forest Service to describe extent of National Forests and Grasslands. Datasets titled "Basic Surface Ownership Parcels" include all parcels within the proclamation boundaries (the basic dataset is merged and easier to deal with rather than the detailed ownership datasets). Only use the polygons that are tagged as owned by USFS, not Non-FS.
Ranger District and "Zone" Boundaries
National Forests and Grasslands are often further divided into lower-order administrative units known as ranger districts, managed by a responsible government official with the title of "district ranger". Each ranger district may have a single office, or they may be administratively combined into a single joint office. Ranger districts may also be collectively managed as "zones". A "zone" may have a single or multiple offices, but typically only one district ranger. It's not advised to map US Forest Service "zones" in OpenStreetMap if multiple office locations are available to assign to each constituent ranger district since "zone" is an operational designation that may shift over time.
Management Areas
National Forests are required by the National Forest Management Act of 1976 to prepare land and resource management plans that allocate areas within the Forest Service-managed lands based on their suitability for various uses in compliance with other laws and regulation. Management areas often include Congressionally designated wilderness, areas included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, Roadless Areas, and other areas for the primary objective of timber, wildlife, recreation, water quality protection or for research purposes. See Land Management Planning Unit Metadata for scheduled updates to Forest Plans. See Other National Designated Area metadata. Individual National Forests and Grasslands encompass all the above designations in their Land and Resource Management Plans, but data at the national extent is not available through the Enterprise Data Warehouse or Geospatial Data Discovery Portal. Contiguous spatial data may be available on individual Region or Forest websites, likely listed under Maps and GIS data or Planning. As sources are located, they will be listed below.
- Region
- Forest - (link to Forest Plan Management Area GIS data)
Designated Wilderness
ArcGIS REST Server Download (Shapefile) Metadata A wilderness (datasets titled "National Wilderness Area") is (usually? always?) a subset of a surrounding "parent" National Forest. In effect, a wilderness is both wilderness and national forest, the former a higher level of protection within the latter. It is not the same as USFS-owned land within the greater proclamation boundary. Some Wilderness Areas are designated across multiple administrative National Forest boundaries, so a separate relation composed of individual ways differing in administrative relation may be needed to reflect the varying office and contact information.
Other Nationally Designated Areas
ARCGIS RES Server Download (shapefile) [https://data.fs.usda.gov/geodata/edw/edw_resources/meta/S_USA.OtherNationalDesignatedArea.xml Metadata This dataset includes other areas of Forest Service-managed lands that are nationally designated for special purposes. Examples include "National Recreation Areas" with recreation values as the primarily management objective, Wilderness Study Areas, Primitive Areas, Roadless Areas, and others.
Forest Service Transportation System
The Forest Service Engineering program maintains a database of roads and trails called INFRA. Individual roads and trails are inventoried, monitored for condition, and planning is conducted prior to making changes that affect the transportation system. Travel Planning is the process that implements the 2005 Travel Management Rule (36 CFR part 212), and results in the periodic publication of standard Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) for each National Forest and Grassland. Off-highway vehicle, over-snow vehicle and non-motorized trails are primarily managed under the Forest Service Recreation program.
National Forest Trails
See the Hiking page for general tags related to hiking trails.
Included in the National Forest Trails dataset are access qualifications for nonmotorized uses, including bicycle=*, horse=*, cross-country skiing (piste:type=nordic) and snowshoe (piste:type=hike). Permitted motorized uses may include snowmobile=*, motorcycle (motorcycle:type=offroad), vehicles less than <50" (1.27m) wide (use atv=*), and 4-wheel drive vehicles >50", (use 4wd_only=* and/or ohv=*). Some Forests have designated ohv=* trails on roads not open for highway vehicle use. These may be low maintenance level roads highway=track, not advisable for anything other than off-road vehicles and generally should have the access restriction motorcar=no with ref=* reflecting the trail identifier rather than the road identifier. Other roads permanently closed to all motor vehicle use and absent from the trails layer should have motor_vehicle=no. Consider using name=* "Forest Trail XXXX" to differentiate and discourage users from mistaking off-highway vehicle routes for higher level roads, during field survey add smoothness=* and tracktype=* to specify further details.
See Also:
Motor Vehicle Use Map Trails
ArcGIS REST Server Shapefile Metadata This dataset is the subset of the National Forest Trails system data where Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use is permitted.
National Forest System Trails (Feature Layer)
ArcGIS REST Server Download (Shapefile) Metadata
| Attribute | Description | Use in OSM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| OBJECTID | Internal feature number | ||
| TRAIL_NO | The official numeric or alphanumeric identifier for the trail | ref=* | |
| TRAIL_NAME | The name that the trail or trail segment is officially or legally known by | name=* | Written in uppercase, and may contain abbreviations (see Abbreviations section below) |
| TRAIL_TYPE | A category that reflects the predominant trail surface and general mode of travel accommodated by a trail | SNOW: A trail that has a surface consisting predominantly of snow or ice and that is designed and managed to accommodate use on that surface.
WATER: A trail that has a surface consisting predominantly of water (but may include land-based portages) and that is designed and managed to accommodate use on that surface. TERRA: A trail that has a surface consisting predominantly of the ground and that is designed and managed to accommodate use on that surface. | |
| TRAIL_CN | Control number generated in Oracle to uniquely identify each trail across all Forest Service units. | N/A | |
| BMP | Beginning measure point for the segment | N/A | |
| EMP | End measure point for the trail segment | N/A | |
| SEGMENT_LENGTH | The length of the trail or trail segment in miles. Calculated as EMP - BMP | ||
| ADMIN_ORG | The administrative unit within the Forest Service where the trail or trail segment physically resides | The six digit code is composed of a two digit Region code, a two digit National Forest code, and a two digit Ranger District code. | |
| MANAGING_ORG | The Forest Service administrative unit that has the long-term responsibility for the management of the trail or trail segment | The six digit code is composed of a two digit Region code, a two digit National Forest code, and a two digit Ranger District code. | |
| SECURITY_ID | Four Digit number | possibly: Two digit region code, two digit national forest code | |
| ATTRIBUTESUBSET | Describes which attribute subset is populated for this record. The attribute subset chosen for each National Forest depends on the data readiness of the trails data for that National Forest | TRAILNFS_MGMT: Includes only existing NFSTs and attributes in EDW TrailNFS
TRAILNFS_CENTERLINE: Basic subset, plus Access and Travel Management data for motorized and non-motorized uses (managed, accepted, prohibited uses). TRAILNFS_BASIC: Includes only existing NFSTs, Trail Name, Trail Number, and BMP/EMP length | |
| NATIONAL_TRAIL_DESIGNATION | The national designation assigned to the trail or trail segment | ||
| TRAIL_CLASS | The prescribed scale of development for a trail, representing its intended design and management standards (TC 1 - 5) | 1: Minimally developed
2: Moderately developed 3: Developed 4: Highly developed 5: Fully developed | |
| ACCESSIBILITY_STATUS | Accessibility guideline compliance status for trail segments that are designed for hiker/pedestrian use | ||
| TRAIL_SURFACE | The predominant surface type the user would expect to encounter on the trail or trail segment | surface=* | IMPORTED COMPACTED MATERIAL: Imported material such as gravel surface
NULL: Not Recorded N/A: Not populated for this Attribute Subset AC: ASPHALT NAT: Native Material Surface SNOW |
| SURFACE_FIRMNESS | The firmness characteristics of the surface that the user would generally expect to encounter on the trail or trail segment | Values:
| |
| TYPICAL_TRAIL_GRADE | The grade that the user would generally expect to encounter along the trail segment | range of grade in % | |
| TYPICAL_TREAD_WIDTH | The average tread width the user can generally expect on the section of trail | width=* | |
| MINIMUM_TRAIL_WIDTH | The minimum trail width on the trail segment where passage may be physically restricted and no alternative route is readily available | ||
| TYPICAL_TREAD_CROSS_SLOPE | The tread cross slope that the user would generally expect to encounter on the section of trail. Entered in percent | ||
| SPECIAL_MGMT_AREA | Land area, that may be of special management concern or interest, through which the trail or trail segment crosses | ||
| TERRA_BASE_SYMBOLOGY | This field indicates the Trail Class, or development scale, of the TERRA trail or trail segment | ||
| MVUM_SYMBOL | This field indicates the vehicle class or combination of vehicle classes to which the trail is open | Values:
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Access information for National Forest System Trails
The National Forest System Trails feature layer contains columns which describe what modes of travel are permitted on a trail, and when. However, translating these values into OpenStreetMap Access tags is difficult, and in some cases not possible.
The National Forest System Trails dataset contains data for many different modes of travel.
For TERRA trails:
HIKER_PEDESTRIANPACK_SADDLEBICYCLEMOTORCYCLEATV(more precisely, motorized vehicles <= 50″ wide)FOURWD(more precisely, motorized vehicles > 50″ wide)
E_BIKE_CLASS1E_BIKE_CLASS2E_BIKE_CLASS3
For SNOW trails:
SNOWMOBILESNOWSHOEXCOUNTRY_SKI
For WATER trails:
MOTOR_WATERCRAFTNONMOTOR_WATERCRAFT
For each of these modes of travel, three columns exist in the dataset, called {MODE}_MANAGED, {MODE}_ACCPT_DISC, and {MODE}_RESTRICTED. Each of these columns may contain a date range formatted as MM/DD-MM/DD or very rarely multiple such ranges separated by commas. Alternately the column may contain NULL (no value), or the string "N/A"; these two values should be treated as equivalent. Date ranges are inclusive of their start and end dates. A common value in many columns is 01/01-12/31 which means year-round.
The meanings of each column type are (paraphrased from USFS descriptions):
- MANAGED: the trail is designed and managed to accommodate this mode of travel during the given date range
- ACCPT_DISC: this mode of travel is neither managed nor restricted during the given date range; it may either be allowed or discouraged, but which one is unstated
- RESTRICTED: this mode of travel is restricted during the given date range
Unfortunately, due to differences between the USFS and OSM definitions of these terms, automated translation of these USFS data values into OSM access tags is likely to be incorrect, and should be avoided. Specific differences to note:
- The Forest Service typically considers a trail MANAGED for a particular use only during part of the year, when that use is safe and practical. For example, many hiking trails in temperate climates are listed as
HIKER_PEDESTRIAN_MANAGEDonly during the summer, say06/01-10/31. It would be incorrect to translate this into the OSM tags foot=designated + foot:conditional=no @ (Nov 1-May 31) because travel on foot is still legally permitted during the winter. The date range in the USFSHIKER_PEDESTRIAN_MANAGEDcolumn is an administrative concept and may correspond to when seasonal maintenance is performed or when trailhead amenities like toilets are open, but it is not a legal restriction of access. - On the other hand, the RESTRICTED columns are legally enforceable restrictions of access. A trail that USFS labels
PACK_SADDLE_RESTRICTED = 01/01-12/31can and should be tagged horse=no. But beware, that many trails are signed on the ground as "hiker only" or listed on the USFS website as "closed to stock", and yet in the National Forest System Trails dataset are markedPACK_SADDLE_RESTRICTED = NULL(indicating no restriction, i.e. that pack and saddle animals are allowed). It's unclear why this is; it may be that the Forest Service requires a Special Order to be in place before labeling a trail as restricted to a certain use in the official dataset, but that trail signage and web pages can indicate restrictions without requiring this formality. - The ACCPT_DISC column describes a date range for which the stated use is neither managed or restricted. "Managed" corresponds most closely to OSM's designated access value, and "restricted" corresponds to OSM's no access value. But ACCPT_DISC could mean an access value of either yes or discouraged, and isn't specific about which it intends. Note: at time of writing, the E_BIKE columns have been broken out into separate ACCPT and DISC columns, and there are plans to do the same for other modes of travel in a future release of the dataset.
- Finally, different Forest Units have taken different approaches for data entry of trails in their jurisdiction. Some units have used MANAGED to indicate when trails are actively managed (as described above) but other units have used the same column to indicate when a mode of travel is legal (similar to OSM, and contrary to the above). It's not possible to tell which interpretation should be applied to a given trail.
- Many date ranges contain typos or appear to have been copy-pasted across many trails in the dataset, resulting in contradictions. Applying simple error checks to the data (like asserting that the MANAGED and RESTRICTED date ranges for a given mode of travel on a single trail should not overlap) will turn up hundreds of rows with disagreeing values that defy interpretation.
Finally, there are five computed columns that summarize the allowed access modes on a trail:
ALLOWED_TERRA_USEALLOWED_SNOW_USETERRA_MOTORIZEDSNOW_MOTORIZEDWATER_MOTORIZED
The first two, ALLOWED_TERRA_USE and ALLOWED_SNOW_USE, contain strings of digits where each digit that is present represents a mode of travel that is permitted. For example ALLOWED_TERRA_USE = "123" means that the trail allows hiking (1), pack and saddle stock (2), and bicycles (3), but disallows motorcycles (4), ATVs (5), and full-size 4WD vehicles (6). It is currently unclear how these columns are computed, and whether a mode of travel being represented in the column value means that use is explicitly managed or merely permitted, and for what part of the year.
The other three columns, TERRA_MOTORIZED, SNOW_MOTORIZED, and WATER_MOTORIZED, indicate with either Y or N whether any motorized use is permitted on the trail. Again, this is computed based on the values in the date range columns for the various motor vehicle modes, although the exact method of computation is unknown.
Until the precise meanings of these computed columns is better understood, you are advised to avoid relying on them as an authoritative source when editing OpenStreetMap.
Road data
U.S. Forest Service data can be used to improve the existing (TIGER-derived) OSM data in National Forest areas. Much of the TIGER-imported data lacks official Forest Service road numbers, includes roads on National Forest lands not approved for motor vehicle use, or better alignment may be found in the USFS data. The US Forest Service Geospatial Data Discovery Tool provides access to the USFS Enterprise Content, which includes roads data. This data is made available under the CC0 1.0 license (CC0 1.0 Universal) Public Domain Dedication.
National Forest System Roads (Feature Layer)
ArcGIS REST Server Download (Shapefile) Metadata
| Attribute | Description | Use in OSM | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTE_CN | Unique identifier of a route | N/A | ||
| BMP | Beginning measure point of the route segment, expressed in miles | N/A | ||
| EMP | Ending measure point of the route segment, expressed in miles | N/A | ||
| ID | The official identifier of the route | ref=* | ||
| NAME | Common name of the road | name=* | Written in uppercase, and may contain abbreviations (see Abbreviations section below) | |
| SYMBOL_CODE | Field is populated using an SQL query SYSTEM, SURFACE_TYPE, and OPER_MAINT_LEVEL to assign the using Cartographic Feature File (CFF) to the road segment | This code represents the level of service for map symbols; values:
| ||
| SEG_LENGTH | Length of the segment in miles as the difference between EMP and BMP | |||
| JURISDICTION | The legal right to control or regulate use of a transportation facility. Jurisdiction requires authority, but not necessarily ownership | operator=* | value= FS - Forest Service | |
| SYSTEM | A network of travel ways serving a common need or purpose, managed by an entity with the authority to finance, build, operate and maintain the routes | ownership=* | value=NFSR - NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM ROAD | |
| ROUTE STATUS | Current physical state of being of the route segment | value= EX - EXISTING (unauthorized and decommissioned roads are not included in this dataset) | ||
| OPER_MAINT_LEVEL | Current physical state of being of the route segment | smoothness=* | Values:
See [1] for detailed descriptions and example photos of each maintenance level. | |
| OBJECTIVE_MAINT_LEVEL | The maintenance level to be assigned at a future date considering future road management objectives, traffic needs, budget constraints and environmental concerns | same values as OPER_MAINT_LEVEL but also C - CONVERT USE, D - DECOMMISSION | ||
| FUNCTIONAL_CLASS | The grouping of roads by the character of service they provide | Values:
| ||
| SURFACE_TYPE | The wearing course; usually designed to resist skidding, traffic abrasion and the disintegrating effects of weather | surface=* | Values:
| |
| LANES | The number of lanes the travel way has | lanes=* | ||
| PRIMARY_MAINTAINER | The agency or party having primary (largest share) financial responsibility for maintenance | |||
| COUNTY | State and County/Borough/Parish/Township in which the route segment physical resides | |||
| CONGRESSIONAL_DISTRICT | The Congressional District where the route segment physically resides | |||
| ADMIN_ORG | The Forest Service unit where the route segment physical resides or the primary Forest Service unit served by the route segment | |||
| SERVICE_LIFE | The length of time that a facility is expected to provide a specified service | |||
| LEVEL_OF_SERVICE | A description of the roads significant traffic characteristics and operating conditions | |||
| PFSR_CLASSIFICATION | Federal Lands Transportation Program (FLTP) Road meets the requirements of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) guidance to provide access to high-use Federal recreation sites or Federal economic generators per 23 USC 203 | |||
| MANAGING_ORG | The Managing Organization is the Forest Service unit (region/forest/district) that has the long-term responsibility for the management of the route segment | |||
| LOC_ERROR | The Location Error is generated by the ESRI software when placing event data against a Linear Referencing System | |||
| GIS_MILES | Shape length of a feature in miles, calculated by converting the data from Decimal Degrees to meters with the formula LengthMeters * 0.000621469277. | |||
| SECURITY_ID | The number identifies to which organization the asset (routes, features, land units, etc.) belongs and acts as a filter that controls what asset records a user can see and edit | |||
| SHAPE | Feature geometry | |||
| OPENFORUSETO | OpenForUseTo identifies if a road segment is open to the public for motorized travel | motor_vehicle=* | The USFS Interactive Visitor Map marks roads as "Closed" (to motor vehicles) if OPENFORUSETO != "ALL" or OPER_MAINT_LEVEL == "1 - BASIC CUSTODIAL CARE (CLOSED)".
| |
| IVM_SYMBOL | The IVM Symbol is used to label road in the FS Interactive Visitor Map | |||
| SYMBOL_NAME | Descriptive name for the category of the road segment, based on the Cartographic Feature File (CFF) Code. This field often is used in map legends | |||
| GLOBALID | field of type UUID (Universal Unique Identifier) in which values are automatically assigned by the geodatabase when a row is created | |||
| SHAPE.LEN | Length of feature in internal units |
Add this URL to your favourite editor:
- Potlatch 2 or JOSM: http://osm.cycle.travel/forest/{zoom}/{x}/{y}.png
- iD: http://osm.cycle.travel/forest/{z}/{x}/{y}.png
You can browse the map at http://osm.cycle.travel/index.html . The following key is useful:
- Surface: yellow outline = paved, grey outline = gravel
- Road type: white with black casing = paved road, dashed grey = gravel road suitable for cars, dashed brown = dirt road, dotted grey = not maintained for cars
- Maintenance level: grey dots = 4x4 only, green dots = usable by cars, black dots = moderately comfortable for cars, black frequent dots = very comfortable for cars
- Points of interest: car = roadside park, flag = Forest Service station, ski = winter recreation area, hiker = trailhead, campsite = campsite, picnic site = picnic site
Abbreviations
Names in USFS datasets (such as the National Forest System Roads and National Forest System Trails datasets discussed above) are often abbreviated. When adding these names to OSM, the abbreviations should be expanded (OSM discourages abbreviation in names). The following table documents common abbreviations. Some abbreviations are ambiguous, so check the surrounding context when expanding them. The suffixes "Road" and "Trail" are almost always omitted from names in USFS sources, and should be added when inserting names into OSM. For example a road called "Falls Creek Road" would have the name FALLS CR in the National Forest System Roads dataset, but should be tagged as name=Falls Creek Road in OSM.
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BR | Bridge or Branch (ambiguous) |
| CG or C.G. | Campground |
| CO | County |
| CR or CK or CRK | Creek |
| CYN | Canyon |
| E | East |
| FDR | Forest Development Road (a road under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service; see 23 USC 101) |
| FK | Fork |
| FR | Forest Road
Used mainly in MN, WI, and OH; in these instances the NAME column is redundant with the ID column. |
| FY ## | Fiscal Year (followed by a two-digit number).
Often accompanies TS or T.S. (Timber Sale) and indicates a logging road built in connection with a particular timber harvest. |
| HWT | Hunter Walking Trail |
| LK | Lake |
| MC | Surnames like McCoy and McKenzie are sometimes written MC COY and MC KENZIE in USFS datasets |
| MDW | Meadow |
| MRS | Minimum Road System (see https://www.fs.usda.gov/science-technology/travel-management) |
| MTN | Mountain |
| N | North |
| NO | Number or North (ambiguous) |
| NRT | National Recreation Trail |
| NST | National Scenic Trail |
| NTL | National |
| OHV | Off-Highway Vehicle (see Key:ohv) |
| PK | Park |
| R | River or Road (ambiguous) |
| RD | Road |
| REC | Recreation |
| S or SO | South |
| SEC | Section |
| SM | Snowmobile |
| SPR | Spur |
| ST | Saint or Street (ambiguous) |
| TH | Trailhead |
| TMR | Travel Management Rule (see https://www.fs.usda.gov/science-technology/travel-management) |
| TS or T.S. | Timber Sale |
| W | West |
Forest Service Facilities
Visitor information center locations, campgrounds, day use areas, trail-heads, dispersed campsites, and other developed recreation sites are valuable data for inclusion in OpenStreetMap. Many of these features are included on the Motor Vehicle Use Maps, the Primary Base Series maps otherwise known as FSTopo, and on the Secondary Base Series maps otherwise know as Forest Visitor maps.