Surveying 101

Tools

• Contractor's site level - shoots vertical intervals - drop in stairstep. Vertical intervals are equal unless there is huge variation in slope. Contractor's level is by Berger at Home Depot.

• Laser level - online - quickest is Forestry Supply has good options. Robust. No hassle. Self-leveling laser - where you don't have to do a bubble to level. Must have 360 deg compass on it. Laser shoots 360 degrees. Shoots lo less than 1000 feet in shooting length. TopCon brand.

• Stick - Forestry Supply - 16' stick. Reads in 10ths of inch. Read the back of it, so distance from ground rather than absolute.

• Weedwhacker + chainsaw. Offset 10' from trees if trees are in the way
  • Always go in one direction
• Need a scale map of property

Procedure for Contour Survey

Summary: Shoot vertical intervals first (to help you find slope). Set up horizontal intervals (following contours, creates aspect).

• Surveying Slope Lines

1. Find the steepest slope in your survey area
2. Mark a 2' drop standard: use the rotating laser level and flags, mark 2' intervals (decreases in elevation) down the slope
3. If the slope is too steep for a 2' drop standard, may need to be 3' or 4' at high slopes (for example, on a 10% slope)

• Putting in contour lines every 20 feet

1. Marking contours: From your original line, follow contours (lines level with your starting point) to each side. Mark contours with a flag every 20'
2. Objective: create 25' terraces. 25' is the guiding criteria, but if it's very steep terrain the terraces might have to be as narrow as 10'
3. Result: smooth arcs of 100' marked by flags, distinguishing terraces with the narrowest point of the terrace on the steepest slope

Mapping Procedure

• Making Grid With a Transit
• Objective: map a 100' grid, using transit level and 2 compasses (because one might be corrupted)
• Number/label squares on grid, write on a map
• For each square you will be able to tell slope, aspect, and decide how you want to use that square (distinguish zoning)
• Map will be used to triangulate any location necessary in the future

Mapping Resources

• ArcGIS
• Google Earth
• Sketchup

Design at FeF

Topographical map of FeF

Design: 5% slope not good for animals, west face not good.

Initial thoughts:

West strip

• more water, shade
• less erosion
• more established creeks
• proposed use: homesteads, collective gardens, ponds, water storage

East strip from S to N end

• Workshops
• large-scale storage (pole barns, tractor garages)
• greenhouses
• orchard/food forest (swales, trees, vines, edible groundcover)
• Ponds where there is good catchment (directly NW of orchard looks practical, as well as just N of the old workshop)
• pasture (organic shapes with edible fence following swales on contour)
• grazeland rotated by species, with cover crop and grain rotated seasonally
• rain catchment on animal shelters
• some shade trees planted
• water storage at top of slope, gravity-fed water troughs for animals

Native Trees

• remove ones with less utility, to be turned into biochar, lumber
• remove deadwood, leaving some logs to be inoculated with mushrooms
• Forested center space:
  • Pond at north end, continuing into creek with ponds coming down the slope
  • Pigs fenced in with pallets, left to forage and free range, fed the byproducts of civilization (whey, food wastes, fallen nut crop)
• Keepers: mulberry, elder, walnut, oak

Ask Parker on full soil report.

Resources

• Surveying Fundamentals and Practices - J. Nathansan et al.
• Dan Schellenberg;
  • Surveying Slope Lines
  • Putting in contour lines every 20 feet
  • Rotating Laser Level
  • Rotating Laser Level and Reciever
  • Making Grid With a Transit
• Site Survey