Surveying 101

• Contractor's site level: Home Depot $240 - shoots vertical intervals - drop in stairstep. Vertical intervals are equal unless there is huge variation in slope.

• 2 foot drop standard. May need to 4' at high slope like 10%.

• Laser level - online - quickest is Forestry Supply has good options. Robust. No hassle. $7-800. 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 - 20' 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: Shoot vertical intervals first (slope). Set up horizontal intervals (following contours, creates aspect) later. Then put the grid down.

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