Research

Forest lands aerial photographs


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Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:
26,000 aerial photographs of state-owned forest lands including. of the Adirondack, Catskill , Allegany , and Palisades parks, and Southern Tier counties. Used to determine boundaries of forest lands and forest types for the appraisal of taxable forest lands, the. ordinary film depicts foliage uniformly in gray. Black and white infrared photos depict foliage in varying shades to identify softwood, hardwood, softwood, and mixed timber stands, and locate trees that have damage from acid precipitation or insect or fungal infestation
Creator:
Title:
Forest lands aerial photographs
Quantity:

16 cubic feet

(ca. 26000 photoprints)

Inclusive Dates:
1956-1958, 1967-1972
Series Number:
18113

Arrangement

Geographical, then chronological, then by flight number.

Administrative History

Within the Office of Real Property Services (formerly the Division of Equalization and Assessment), Valuation Support Services provides valuation and assessment of real property owned by the state.

Scope and Content Note

The series consists of approximately 26,000 aerial photoprints of state forest lands, divided into two groups: photographs taken in the 1956-1958 period; and those taken in the 1967-1972 period. Geographical coverage for both sets include the Adirondack, Catskill, and Allegany State Park areas. The 1956-1958 set also includes the Palisades Interstate Park region, while the 1967-1972 set includes selected towns in a number of Southern Tier counties.

The primary use of the series by the Office of Real Property Services was to determine forest types for the appraisal of taxable state-owned and private forest lands, and the location of the boundaries of state-owned forest lands.

Both sets have a number of common characteristics. All photography is at the same approximate scale of 1:15,840 (1 inch=1/4 mile); each photo is dated with flight and image number; all images are available in black and white stereo pairs; and photos were taken while the trees were covered with foliage (late spring/summer) and when there was "zero" cloud cover.

The use of black and white infrared film for these photos makes the series quite unusual. Ordinary panchromatic film depicts all tree foliage in a uniform shade of dark gray. Black and white infrared photos depict foliage in varying shades, from near-white to black. Infrared photography also permits the trained analyst to distinguish hardwood, softwood, and mixed timber stands, to identify different types of softwood, and even to identify trees that are losing foliage because of acid precipitation or insect or fungal infestation.

Other Finding Aids

Available at Repository

Container list.

Index maps are available onsite. Use the index key in the master file.

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.

Access Terms

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