4. It is generally accepted that aerial photos must be retaken in Central
Sweden at intervals of 10 years. The same applies to Southern Sweden,
because of the minor róle played by the photos in forestry; otherwise an
interval of 4—8 years would be justified. In Upper Norrland an interval
of 10—15 years should suffice. In 1955 the report of an official inquiry
into “photogrammetric operations” recommended that practically every
part of the country, with the exception of the mountain districts, be photo-
graphed every 10th. year at public expense, for the production of photos
on the scale of 1:20 000. If this recommendation is followed, the use of
photographs for forest mapping will be promoted and methods can be
adapted to suit a 10 year rotation. This would not prevent intensively ma-
naged enterprises from contracting for intermediate photographing, say
after an interval of 5 years, in order to keep their photos up-to-date, avoid
the addition of drawing and recordings and possibly to develop a control
system based on the photos. Possibly photos might be taken even more
frequently, but restricted to the operational divisions on which forestry
in the Norrland is being more and more concentrated.
5. Mapping on aerial photos as regards the State Forest Service has been
done by its own personnel and the companies mainly employ the Com-
mittee of Forest Photogrammetry. The procedure has consisted of making
distinction between stands, swamps, hills and other separate areas, and
making some streams, trails etc. stand out more clearly. This sketching is
done indoors, using colored pencils. The sketching is done on standard
material (contact prints of vertical photos, mostly 1:20 000), by stereo-
vision and sometimes with the aid of forest maps, for example to facilitate
distinction between clearings and swamps. Mirror stereoscopes and Delft
stereoscopes have been used, but the main part of the work is done with
pocket stereoscopes of 2 X magnifying power. The personnel has been
specially trained for mapping in the field as well as for interpretation.
Most projects have comprised forests in Norrland, which are usually
sketched somewhat quicker and with better results than forests in Southern
Sweden.
6. The choice of suitable mapping method is governed both by the forest
conditions and by the technical facilities. Cooperation, especially between
the Geographical Survey Office and those engaged with forestry, has lately
developed in an exemplary fashion. Much remains to be done, however,
which may be expected to be reflected in future modifications of the
methods employed. Looking well ahead, for example, one may count on
better photos, including color photos. In forestry circles efforts, which will
certainly be made, to carry out cruisings mainly on the basis of aerial
photos will certainly impose fresh and greater demands on the quality of
the photos, which in turn may affect mapping methods in the future. The
drawn maps have remained rather unchanged in type in Sweden for a
century. It will probably be a long time before the new methods attain
anything approaching that permanence.