As we posted in “Visit Us at the Society of American Foresters Conference 11/15/17,” many users of ReportAll’s GIS technology work in the forestry industry so we were happy to attend our first Society of American Foresters (SAF) Convention last month in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The SAF aims to set the standard in forest management by bringing science, best practice and the best people together. Forestry professionals, an industry that in the past has relied on antiquated mapping and communication, are now benefiting from advancements in GIS technology which can improve the management of land and timber resources as well as the identification of land owners and parcel data.
GIS Technology & Parcel Data Improve Efficiencies for Foresters
From the ReportAll vendor booth we met several current users of LandGlide, a mobile app that works with your smartphone’s GPS coordinates to deliver on-site property lines and parcel data while in the field. We also reminisced with some veteran commercial forestry professionals about how, before GIS technology and smartphone mobile apps, they used to “literally knock on doors” when they found wood they wanted to harvest and how much more efficient GIS technology and parcel data is to commercial foresters who can gather property ownership information, property boundaries and other characteristics like acreage and zoning all on-site from a mobile app.
Many students and universities were in attendance for education credits which made it an exciting convention to learn more about issues affecting the forestry industry. We also took advantage of the opportunity to speak with government foresters, commercial forestry professionals, environmentally friendly forest management organizations, lumber companies and other vendors with products and services geared towards forestry. Fortunately, through networking with current LandGlide and ReportAll users, other GIS technology providers and commercial foresters, we are looking forward to attending more events attended by Consulting Foresters, Procurement Foresters, Lumber Mills and Lumber Dealers. Feel free to contact us with your favorite conventions, expos and conferences geared towards forestry professionals.