Rappahannock County Natural Resource Map Series

Map Number 4: Forests and Streams

Forest covers sixty-seven percent of our land in Rappahannock County, Virginia. Forests protect the quality of water for our streams, ponds and groundwater. This map helps us to see the close relationship of forests and streams. A digital map of streams is superimposed on a map showing land cover categorized as residential, forest, or pasture and farm crops.

Please click on map for higher resolution image.

Forests are the most important protection for our watershed. Forests protect the land and stream banks from erosion; trap sediment and pollutants before they enter streams; moderate flooding; recharge groundwater; regulate water and air temperatures; maintain healthy environment for aquatic life; and provide wildlife habitat.

This map was constructed using Geographic Information System (GIS) software and land cover data from the National Land Cover Database. The National Land Cover Dataset was compiled from Landsat satellite TM imagery (circa 1992) with a spatial resolution of 30 meters and supplemented by ancillary data where available. The analysis and interpretation of the satellite imagery was conducted using very large, sometimes multi-state image mosaics (i.e. up to 18 Landsat scenes). Using a relatively small number of aerial photographs for 'ground truth', the thematic interpretations were necessarily conducted from a spatially-broad perspective.

The Rappahannock County Natural Resource Map Series is designed to assist citizens and leaders in Rappahannock County, in understanding and making decisions about uses and protection of natural resources in this scenic, rural area. Each map in the series addresses a separate theme, such as streams, watersheds, riparian buffers, water quality, topography, land cover and land use, land conservation, historic districts, rustic roads, and others. This map series is produced by the Piedmont Research Institute as a public service, with encouragement from several organizations including the Rappahannock County Government, Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection, Piedmont Environmental Council, Rappahannock Friends and Lovers of Our Watershed (RappFLOW), the Rappahannock County Conservation Alliance, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and others. You can obtain maps in this series by attending RappFLOW events or joining RLEP.

Map Number 1: Major Streams
(See RappFLOW Reports & Publications: Air and Water Quality in the Shenandoah National Park)

Map Number 2: Streamside Vegetation
(See Ways to Protect Our Watershed: Streamside Vegetation)

Map Number 3: Thornton Upper Watershed
(See Ways to Protect Our Watershed: Stop Erosion Now!)

Map Number 4: Forests and Streams
(See Ways to Protect our Watershed: Sustainable Forestry)