Sylva - myForest

1. Getting Started with myForest

Learn how to manage your myForest account and properties.

Setting up your myForest Owner Account

To access the myForest platform and begin mapping, planning, and managing your woodland creation and/or management project(s), you will first need to register for a free myForest account.

To start your registration click here.

There are two account types to choose from:

Forest Owner - for managing a single property.
Forest Agent - for managing multiple properties.

Once you have created your free account, you can opt to upgrade to a Paid Plan. Click here to find out more about the additional functionality for Paid Plans. Please note the fees for Paid Plans differ between Owner and Agent accounts.

Setting up your myForest Agent Account

To access the myForest platform and begin mapping, planning, and managing your woodland creation and/or management project(s), you will first need to register for a free myForest account.

To start your registration click here.

There are two account types to choose from:

Forest Owner - for managing a single property.
Forest Agent - for managing multiple properties.

Owner Account Settings

You can access the following in the Owner Account Settings within the app:

Property Details - update your property name and location
Account Details - update your profile and convert to an Agent Account
Account Plan - upgrade to a Paid Plan and keep your payment details up to date
Change your password
Contact Preferences - subscribe or unsubscribe to e-mail updates

Agent Account Settings

You can access the following in the Clients Overview:

Your Details - update your profile including company logo
Account Plan - upgrade to a Paid Plan and keep your payment details up to date
Change your password
Contact Preferences - subscribe or unsubscribe to e-mail updates

Client Management in myForest

With a myForest Agent Account, you can create and manage multiple clients (properties), and share access to properties with other users.

The Clients Overview is your Agent home page within myForest and is displayed each time you log in to your account. Use it for:

Viewing your client list
Creating a new client (property)
Importing a client’s existing myForest data
Sharing your mapping, data, and plans directly with your client
Releasing (transferring) a property to a client
Deleting a property and all its data from your account

After you have opened a property from your client list, the Property Details can be accessed by clicking the person icon in the Mapping Main View. Use it for viewing and updating the following:

Client name
Property name
Property location

2. Woodland Creation with myForest

Learn about the principles of woodland creation in myForest.

Introduction to Woodland Creation with myForest

myForest is a powerful GIS (Geographical Information System) incorporating advanced digital mapping capabilities with a dedicated forestry geospatial database (geospatial means the data is linked to a location).

Mapping Components are the digitised elements, or geometries, that form the basis of your own myForest geographical database. They consist of points, lines and polygons (areas).

Two special types of polygons in myForest are Compartments and Sub-compartments. The third Mapping Component is Features, which can be used to show any other type of point, line or area feature.

Compartments and Sub-compartments are used to spatially sub-divide woodland into management units. The practice is a critical part of woodland management and planning, and underpins how you go about mapping your woodland and storing data. How you do it will depend on a number of factors including the scale and complexity of the site, the presence of special features or constraints, and your objectives.

Woodland Creation Mapping Overview

You can digitally map myForest Mapping Components - Compartments, Sub-compartments and Features - by clicking with your mouse to align with visible points of reference on a map or satellite image. You can also import a GIS file containing digitally mapped objects from an external source, in the form of polygons, lines and points, and then edit them in myForest by simple mouse clicks.

Polygons are the most complex type of 2D object and can be anything that consists of a closed area, such as a Compartment, Sub-compartment or property boundary. A Line Feature has a start point and an end point with any number of intermediate points in between. Examples are rides, tracks and watercourses. A Point Feature is usually a small, discrete feature that can be represented by a single point, such as an individual tree, an access gate, or a bridge.

The principles of mapping in myForest are the same for all three. When mapping, each click of your mouse is automatically converted into a datapoint - also know as a node or a vertex - that defines its location and links it to an object in the database: a Compartment, Sub-compartment or Feature. myForest displays this information visually in the Mapping Live View.

Part 1 - Locating your Site
Part 2 - Mapping Point Features
Part 3 - Mapping Line Features
Part 4 - Mapping Polygons

For more detailed guidance refer to the following:

Woodland Creation Data Overview

The descriptive information about your woodland creation in myForest is referred to as Data. At the Property and Compartment levels, the data consists of overarching themes such as name and location of the property, ownership, and the Compartment name and number. Most data related to woodland creation is stored under Sub-compartment Creation Data. Here you can record information about the trees that you plan to plant and the establishment operations.

For more detailed guidance refer to the following:

Woodland Creation Outputs Overview

A range of Outputs can be created from your data in myForest, for visualising and summarising your mapping and data, establishment & maintenance planning and monitoring, and applying for regulatory approval and funding. Broadly, these consist of the following types:

customisable maps
pdf files generated from built-in templates that you fill in
automatically generated charts and spreadsheets of your data
geospatial data files suitable for use with other Geographical Information Systems

The pdf format ensures your myForest data is preserved as the Single Source of Truth, as the downloaded documents cannot be easily edited.

For more detailed guidance refer to the following:

Woodland Creation Plans

myForest includes a bespoke, easy to use, UK Forestry Standard compliant Woodland Creation Plan template.

The template incorporates expandable text boxes and automatic page formatting.
When you have completed the template, you can download a copy of the plan as a pdf file.
Plans downloaded from myForest can be used as part of a England Woodland Creation Offer funding application.
You can also create maps to accompany your woodland creation plan.

For more detailed guidance refer to the following:

Creation Plan Templates

3. Woodland Management with myForest

Learn about the principles of woodland management in myForest.

Woodland Management Mapping Overview

Part 1 - Locating your Site
Part 2 - Mapping Point Features
Part 3 - Mapping Line Features
Part 4 - Mapping Polygons

For more detailed guidance refer to the following:

Woodland Management Data Overview

The descriptive information about your woodland management in myForest is referred to as Data. At the Property and Compartment levels, the data consists of overarching themes such as name and location of the property, ownership, and the Compartment name and number. Most data related to woodland management is stored under Sub-compartment Management Data. Here you can record information about the trees that are growing in the area (“inventory data”) and planned operations including felling proposals.

For more detailed guidance refer to the following:

Woodland Management Outputs Overview

A range of Outputs can be created from your data in myForest, for visualising and summarising your mapping and data, operations planning and monitoring, and applying for regulatory approval and funding. Broadly, these consist of the following types:

customisable maps
pdf files generated from built-in templates that you fill in
automatically generated charts and spreadsheets of your data
geospatial data files suitable for use with other Geographical Information Systems

The pdf format ensures your myForest data is preserved as the Single Source of Truth, as the downloaded documents cannot be easily edited.
Many outputs including management plans, felling applications and operational plans are pre-populated using your data, avoiding discrepancies and time-consuming duplication.

For more detailed guidance refer to the following:

Woodland Management Plans

myForest includes a number of easy to use Woodland Management Plan editors, or templates.

Templates incorporate expandable text boxes and automatic page formatting.
The Forestry Commisssion Woodland Management Plan interactive template contains extensive built-in guidance and links to external support resources.
When you have completed a template, you can download a copy of the plan as a pdf file.
Plans downloaded from myForest can be submitted directly to the Forestry Commission or Scottish Forestry.
You can also create compliant maps to accompany your management plan.
You can download an automatically generated Inventory & Plan of Operations for submission with Forestry Commission Woodland Management Plans to form part of an application for a ten year felling licence.

For more detailed guidance refer to the following:

Management Plan Templates

4. Mapping

Learn how to use myForest's advanced mapping functionality.

Guidance under construction

Locating Your Site

The first step to mapping your woodland is to locate your site.

If you enter your postcode when adding your property to myForest, you will be automatically taken to the postcode location when you open the property for the first time.

You can also locate your site using the Location Search.

Base Maps

A Base Map is a map or image with information that can be used as points of reference for mapping your woodland. As well as providing a guide to digitising the various mapping components, base maps can be used as a backdrop to your own, customised output maps.

Data Layers

Data Layers can at first glance look like a kind of map, but they are in fact just a set of points, lines or polygons, showing additional geospatial information, for example the presence of constraints such as National Parks or SSSIs. They are created by third parties and made available to myForest users to inform their woodland management decisions.

Compartment and Sub-compartment Mapping

The same principles apply to mapping or digitising Compartments and Sub-compartments in myForest.

You can either import boundaries that have already been digitised, or start from scratch by drawing with your mouse.

Once you have mapped a Compartment or a Sub-compartment, you can edit the boundaries using your mouse to add, delete and move vertices, and use snapping to ensure adjoining boundaries line up correctly.

Feature Mapping

Guidance under construction

5. Data

Guidance under construction

Compartment Data

Guidance under construction

Sub-compartment General Data

Guidance under construction

Sub-compartment Creation Data

Guidance under construction

Sub-compartment Management Data

Guidance under construction

Feature Data

Guidance under construction

6a. Mapping Outputs

Guidance under construction

6b. Regulatory Outputs

Guidance under construction

Creation Plan Templates

Guidance under construction

Management Plan Templates

Guidance under construction

6c. Recording and Monitoring Outputs

Guidance under construction