Managing Forests with a Smartphone

Note: This article was originally written by Andrew Haux and is republished here with permission.

Using geo-software in everyday practice at the Federal Forest Service

When a forester pulls out his cell phone, records the location of a piece of wire left behind, adds a photo, and then forwards it to the appropriate department, we can follow along with what will be explained in detail in this article: the tasks of the Federal Forest Service and the use of a proven hand tool.

The Federal Agency for Real Estate (BImA) is the German federal authority responsible for managing federal real estate. One area of the diverse tasks arising from the administration and maintenance of real estate is covered by the Federal Forestry Office, a specialized organizational unit responsible for managing the federal government's forests and near-natural areas.

We had the opportunity to talk not only to Simon Haufe, specialist administrator for geoinformation systems at Bundesforst, but also to gather direct feedback from foresters who look after various locations in the Federal Forest and Nature Conservation Agency ( ). But before we go "out into the field," so to speak, let's first take a high-level look at the tasks of Bundesforst.

The tasks of the Federal Forest Service



Overview map of the areas managed by the Federal Forestry Office © Federal Forestry Office, Simon Haufe

"We like to refer to ourselves as 'green facility management,'" explains Simon Haufe. "This is because we at Bundesforst mainly manage forests, waterways, and open spaces. And when we talk about forests, we are essentially referring to areas used for military purposes, such as military training areas or bases." In other words, areas whose planning and management must be closely aligned with the users of these properties.

Military use in particular presents the challenge of keeping an eye on the buffer effect vis-à-vis the civilian population, i.e., noise, erosion, and dust, but also on containing the risk of fire during training operations. Knowledge of the forest and the location is very important for this—one reason why there is a greater focus on climate change.

The forest in 2100


"We launched a research project called 'Klimaplastischer Bundeswald' (Climate-Resilient Federal Forest) in 2020, which we initiated and implemented together with the Northwest German Forest Research Institute," explains Simon Haufe. "Looking ahead to the end of this century, we asked ourselves which tree species can survive under the current site conditions and taking climate change into account. What does forest conversion need to look like, based on scientific evidence?" The result of this now completed project is a geodataset that provides site-specific recommendations on tree species composition.

But the work is not finished yet. With regard to military use in particular, the Federal Forestry Office is now working on refining the results, as the figure shows: fire prevention, bullet trap and emission control are functions that are being added to describe certain types of mixtures.

The foundations are therefore laid at the headquarters in Bonn, which are then implemented in the 17 federal forestry operations. Whether it's operations such as Mittelelbe or Lower Saxony, direct military training areas such as Grafenwöhr or Hohenfels, or military airfields such as Ramstein or Jagel, the federal forestry operations with their approximately 260 forest districts are supported nationwide from Bonn. "This brings us to the smallest units where the forest is managed and planned," adds Simon Haufe. "And it is precisely here that we support the operations with digital products. On the one hand, by providing our GIS system called BImaps as a system for central geodata storage. On the other hand, through Avenza Maps Pro, an app for smartphones and tablets that enables orientation and data collection in the field."

Knowing where you are – even without an internet connection


Over time, the last point in particular has increasingly emerged as a specific requirement for foresters in the field. How can you find your way around the terrain, not only by displaying your own location, but also your own data such as planning maps or parcel boundaries? How can you ensure that you are cutting down the right tree and not the one on the neighboring property? In 2023, those responsible at Bundesforst addressed these issues and quickly came across the Avenza Maps Pro software—not least because the app was already in widespread use on the district managers' mobile devices.

The decision to go with Avenza Maps was made very quickly, as the app was found to be very user-friendly and the software speaks for itself. "We will certainly use other mobile solutions in other areas that are more closely linked to databases," says Simon Haufe. "But the Avenza solution has the great advantage that it is controlled locally, the administrative effort is very low, and users can mainly manage themselves."

Administration of Avenza Maps Pro

Simon Haufe says this about the administrative effort involved with Avenza Maps Pro:

  • With more than 400 licenses, administration is well handled with a very easy-to-use interface.
  • In addition to the main license, we have created 17 sublicenses, which we distribute to the district managers with a QR code for registration.
  • The QR code makes registration quick and easy for users.
  • We can easily deactivate individual users and assign the license to other users (e.g., in the event of prolonged illness, parental leave, or a sabbatical).
  • Lists can be exported for further processing.

Further advantages of using the app:

  • Any geodata can be loaded into the app.
  • Loaded map data can be organized very well.
  • Even a GeoPDF with more than 2 gigabytes can be opened and handled efficiently, allowing an entire military training area to be made available to district managers on a scale of 1:10,000 or 1:5,000.
  • Data sets with attributes can be exported and expanded and supplemented by the users themselves. 

On the go with your smartphone


Use of Avenza Maps Pro at the Federal Forestry Office – © Photo: Michael Mayer

And with that, we are already on site, in the field, getting to the bottom of how Avenza Maps proves itself in practice. We had the opportunity to talk to several foresters to learn more about their daily use of the software.

Forest management, planting, fence construction, nature conservation, hunting—Avenza Maps supports everything that is part of the job description. As we heard in the interviews, the app has established itself as a constant companion.

All of our interviewees agreed that they have loaded a wide variety of maps into the app, including forest management maps, nature conservation maps, field maps, aerial photos, and hunting maps. "Avenza Maps is a really great everyday tool because we always have our entire set of maps for various problems and tasks with us and can immediately see where we are within these maps," explains Daniela Hecht, district manager at the Hohenfels military training area."

Since the maps can be organized wonderfully in folder structures, you don't lose track of anything, even with special requirements such as recording many fragmented areas," adds Celio Bandurski, district manager at the Mittelelbe Federal Forestry Office. In addition to two training areas covering a total of 1,500 hectares, his location is characterized by 200 hectares of small areas that have resulted from compensation and replacement measures. "And that's where the many digitized maps that I always have with me come in handy."

In addition to providing spatial orientation, all maps form the basis for storing our own data, independently of an internet connection. "At the Hohenfels military training area, internet reception is often very difficult," adds Michael Mayer, district manager in Hohenfels. "But with Avenza Maps, we always know where we are and can record new information with pinpoint accuracy, add photos, and export it."

Everyday tasks


And recording your own data is an important and frequently used feature of the app. "We work closely with the military. If, for example, a piece of barbed wire is left behind after an exercise or an unexploded ordnance is found, we mark it in the app and forward the location to the explosives or clearance service, including photos if necessary," explains Melitta Diener, district manager in Hohenfels. This describes the first option for data collection: setting a point in the app.

This point, which can be set at the location or anywhere else, can be supplemented with all necessary attributes. Photos taken with a smartphone can optionally be assigned directly to the location. And exporting them in KML/KMZ format, for example, allows them to be easily shared with other departments. But it also works the other way around, of course: "Or the military tells us where a dead animal has been found, sends us the coordinates, and we know exactly where to go," Melitta Diener concludes.

Typical applications for this type of recording arise during daily patrols of the hunting grounds. "Traffic safety is one of our responsibilities," says Daniela Hecht. "Critical trees are marked during patrols and forwarded." Tree stands can be checked and logged, beetle-infested trees recorded, and nesting trees saved with all the desired information.

But in the field, it's not just about point information. "You can start tracks in Avenza Maps that record your movements in the field. We've used this to measure skid trails and record fences," explains Celio Bandurski. "Or you might have a 'beetle hole', i.e. a stand that has been severely damaged or killed by bark beetles," adds Maximilian Zinnow, district manager at the Mittelelbe Federal Forestry Office. "Then I walk around the area with track mode activated, convert the line directly into an area, and immediately have the location and hectare amount for further action."

Cooperation with companies


One of these next steps could be a call for tenders for companies. Andreas Zellermayr sits at the Hohenfels site in what he describes as the "forestry operation's engine room." He takes care of everything related to the awarding and procurement of measures and services. He then receives digital information from the district managers, for example, when a beetle hole has been detected, so that appropriate measures can be initiated: "The submission of digital data, ideally with photos to illustrate the local conditions, the simple calculation of regeneration , or logging areas, and the transfer of this information to maps—all of this provides an ideal basis for planning and preparing our tenders."

And if the contracted companies also use Avenza Maps, it is easy to find the assigned locations using the verified and provided coordinates: log pile locations with the wood to be transported, reforestation or logging areas, maintenance measures.

Transparent hunting


The district managers' tasks also include hunting supervision. "When we have hunting guests, we plan the distribution of participants among the raised hides in advance," explains Maximilian Zinnow. "Depending on their size, they are divided into groups, and a group leader assigns them to the raised hides. It is quite possible that changes may occur shortly before the start, e.g., due to a training unit. In this case, it is ideal if the group leaders also use Avenza Maps, as we can send them new data at short notice and thus ensure that the hunt proceeds safely." Here, it is advantageous that, in addition to the Pro version of the Avenza app, which is indispensable for professional use, a free version is also available for recreational use.

From the field to the office


Even though the district managers spend a lot of time out and about in their area, the benefits of Avenza Maps extend to the office. There, the Federal Forestry Office of the BImA offers its employees BImaps, a GIS system that provides all the basic map material, from higher-level data for location planning and forest management maps to a directory of all raised hides in the areas. District managers can use this to prepare the maps relevant to their area and transfer them to Avenza Maps. Conversely, they can also import all the data they have collected themselves from the app and use it for their planning.

The daily companion...


During the interviews, we were particularly impressed by the fact that all participants use the software intensively on a daily basis:

  • "I use it every day in my area and am currently very satisfied with how we can work with it." (Maximilian Zinnow)
  • "It's a really big help in everyday life and is constantly in use, simply because you have all your maps with you, can see where you are, and can record data that you can also pass on." (Daniela Hecht)
  • "Avenza Maps is my main tool because it can be used for many tasks." (Celio Bandurski)
  • "The most important thing for us is that it's always usable because it's independent of the internet – a huge advantage for us." (Michael Mayer)
  • "As soon as we're out and about, we use the app every day." (Melitta Diener)
  • Even the contact person who is mainly found in the office is convinced: "When I'm out in the field, I always have Avenza Maps with me – for orientation, but also to record any anomalies that I can then pass on to the district managers." (Andreas Zellermayr)

But we don't want to hide the fact that there was also one big wish among all participants: the ability to share specific data layers directly with other users. "Imagine a forest worker records a location in Avenza Maps and the district manager can immediately see where it is and what information is available," says Melitta Diener, summing up exactly what all participants mentioned. "Despite our overall satisfaction with the software, we really miss this form of direct communication."

If the transfer of information is then dependent on an active internet connection, this is actually more than just a wish; it is a very useful addition to this app. And in fact, Avenza has assured us that this feature is at the top of its list for further development.  

And we admit that we are already looking forward to announcing the integration of this functionality in Avenza Maps Pro to all participants in our discussions. 

We would like to thank the Federal Agency for Real Estate, Federal Forestry Division, for its support, and all participants in the interviews for their time and interesting comments.

Further information: https://www.geobridge.de/C73XDHV11U