Land Navigation and Mapping

Whether you are a forest landowner, land trust volunteer, or professional land manager, understanding how to navigate confidently through the woods, and make and interpret maps are essential skills. This one-day course in Land Navigation and Mapping is designed to provide hands-on instruction in both traditional and digital methods of orienteering in the field.

The day will begin with analogue navigation techniques, focusing on how to read topographic maps, use a compass to take and follow bearings, estimate distances traveled and to a goal, and identify your location on the landscape without the aid of electronics. These are fundamental skills for moving through unfamiliar forest terrain safely and effectively.