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PROTECTION FOREST REVISION AND MANAGEMENT USING GIS AND DIGITAL 
SURVEYING TECHNIQUES 
J.F. Jan“, Y.K. Chen”, C.K. Chen®, Q.S. Yeh®, C.R. Kuo?* 
" Corresponding author, Dept. of Land Economics, National Chengchi University, 64, Section 2, Chih-Nan Rd., Taipei, 
Taiwan - jfjan@nccu.edu.tw 
* Dept. of Forestry, National Taiwan University, 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei, Taiwan - (ykchen, ccjeremy, kenson, 
long)@gis225.fo.ntu.edu.tw 
Commission VII, WG VII/3 
KEY WORDS: Forestry, GIS, Surveying, Revision, Management, Orthoimage, Digital, Web based. 
ABSTRACT: 
The protection forest system for Taipei City, the capital of Taiwan, was established in 1907. The social and natural environment had 
changed drastically in the past few decades, however, the maps and cadastral records of these forests were not updated accordingly. 
In this study, digital surveying techniques were used to survey the boundaries, sample plots, and land use of the protection forests. 
Combining with the field survey data, a comprehensive spatial database consisting of topographic maps, digital orthoimage, digital 
elevation model, cadastre, and other related data was built for the protection forests. Moreover, in order to efficiently provide 
accurate and timely information for protection forest management and inventory, a geographic information system was developed 
using Microsoft Visual Basic, ArcView, and ArcIMS. The system has graphical user interface, and provides easy access for data 
inquiry, maintenance, updating, printing, and overlaying analysis, which can provide useful spatial information to facilitate decision 
making for protection forest management. The results indicate that the total area of protection forests is increased from 2,349 
hectares to 2,539 hectares as compared to the original records. Among them, about 173 hectares were identified as improper land use 
areas such as croplands, man-made structures, and orchards. In addition, the administrative authority can use the system to manage 
the protection forests, and the general public can also access information regarding protection forests through the web-based GIS. 
The government and the general public share common communication platform, thereby they can jointly bring protection forests to 
function fully such that the goals of protecting land and soils, the public welfare, and maintaining good living environment can all be 
achieved. 
1. INTRODUCTION status of forest stands and land-use usually vary due to spatial, 
temporal, and socio-economic changes. Since first established, 
Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, is located in a basin in nearly one hundred years, the jurisdiction and management 
surrounded by mountain hills and slopelands with elevation authority of the protection forests had changed several times, 
ranging from 200 to 1200 meters. Home to numerous nevertheless the accuracy of the records and maps were not 
headquarters of many enterprises and government institutes, verified and the status of the forests were not checked. 
Taipei city has long become both the political and economic Therefore, effective measures are needed to revise the 
center of Taiwan. Due to heavy rainfall and tropical cyclones, protection forest maps and all the related data. 
natural hazards caused by flooding and landslide often brings 
major threats to human lives and precious properties. On 17 The main goals of protection forest revision were: (1) to survey 
September 2001, a typhoon brought heavy downpour of over the boundary of these protection forests and update related 
425mm precipitation in a single day, and claimed many human parcel records; (2) to investigate the status of the protection 
lives and huge damages accounted for billions of loss in forests; (3) to establish a geographic information system of the 
properties and infrastructure of transportation, power system, protection forest to facilitate managing the forests; (4) to build a 
and water supply system. Widespread awareness of the web-based GIS for the protection forests to improve public 
importance of environmental protection had called for more awareness of environmental protection. Taipei City is the most 
effective measures to protect against natural hazards. prosperous area in Taiwan. The value of land is very high, 
therefore the accuracy of protection forest boundary surveying 
Protection forests are forests explicitly designated to provide may greatly affect people’s interests. In order to obtain accurate 
protective functions such as protecting soils, water, public results for protection forest revision, this study used digital 
health, places of historic significance and scenic areas, and surveying techniques to survey the boundaries, sample plots, 
protecting against natural hazards caused by flood, wind, and — and land use of the protection forests. Various high precision 
salt (IUCN, 1994). The protection forests of Taipei city were ^ surveying instruments including GPS receivers, total stations, 
initially established in 1907. Three types of protection forests, and laser distance measuring instrument were used in this study. 
with a total area of 2,349 hectares, were designated to protect Software tools of geographic information system were used for 
water, soils, and scenic spots. Some cadastre books and hand- land-use investigation, and to build a spatial database and a 
drawing maps were used to record the ownerships and extent of ^ web-based GIS system that can facilitate management of the 
lands. Although the protection forests were designated to protection forests. 
provide specific protective functions or services, however the 
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