NATURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY:
Sample Outline
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General suggestions for writing or compiling your Natural Resource Inventory:

Use another town’s NRI as a model. You can find examples on the Taking Action for Wildlife
Communities/NRI page: http://extension.unh.edu/fwt/tafw/CommunitySuccessStories.htm
Hebron and Bath are both good examples for town-written NRIs.

Number the sections of your document so the outline is clear (see following suggested outline).

Make sure to number all the figures and tables sequentially, starting with Table 1 for the first table and Figure
1 for the first figure. Be sure to cross reference every table or figure by its number in the accompanying text.

Maps should all be full-page in size so that they are easily readable. Use the 8 ½ x 11 Wildlife Action Plan
Habitat Map and Highest Ranked Habitats maps from the Town Maps web page on the NH Fish and Game
website

Be sure that all the sources listed directly follow the table or chart from which they are derived so it is clear
which tables are derived from which sources.

Include a list of references or resources that you have used or referred to in your NRI – you can do it in the
introduction (see example of Hebron), as an appendix, or both.
Sample Outline:
Section 1
Introduction
See Hebron and Bath NRI’s for an example of an Introduction. Yours can be shorter, but you need to explain
what the purpose and goals of your NRI are. You can also include reference to other existing reports that
support your NRI, e.g.:
- NH’s Changing Landscape Report (2010)
- Any regional or local conservation and/or watershed plans including your community
Section 2
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
Section 3
Water Resources (See text in Hebron NRI for a model; see also Bath NRI)
Watersheds
Surface Water
2.2.1 Lakes & Ponds
2.2.2 Rivers & Streams
2.2.3 Wetlands & Vernal Pools
Aquifers/Groundwater
Floodplains
Recommendations for Water Resources – we suggest including recommendations under each section.
You may also include them in a table with other information (who is responsible, etc.) by copying
them into a summary table at the end of the document.
Soils of Special Importance & Steep Slopes
Some of this information will need to be collected from existing data layers, but use Hebron’s NRI plan
as a model. To access the data layers if you don’t have GIS capability, you can use the GRANIT View
website which provides a quick and easy way for non-GIS users to access the data layers.
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
Agricultural Soils and Active Farmlands
Hydric (Wetland) Soils
Steep Slopes (if applicable)
Ridgelines (if applicable)
Recommendations for Soils and Steep Slopes (if you are considering a Steep Slopes Ordinance, refer to
the chapter NH Steep Slopes and Ridgeline Protection in the document: Innovative Land Use Planning
Techniques: A Handbook for Sustainable Development – click here for link
(http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/repp/innovative_land_use.htm)
Section 4
WILDLIFE AND HABITATS
4.1
Wildlife Habitats
 Describe each habitat found in your town, using the Wildlife Action Plan Habitat Land Cover map
and descriptions from Habitats Page of the UNH Extension website.
 Include the wildlife likely to be found in each habitat (get this from the Critical Habitats and
Associated Species table. You may also have information or studies where you can include actual
records of local wildlife observations (Hebron NRI has an example of this)
 You can mention some of the stewardship (management) guidelines provided for each habitat in
the Habitat Stewardship Brochures.
 Remember than several important habitat types were NOT mapped, but are likely to occur in your
town: Shrublands, Vernal Pools, Headwater Streams.
4.1.1 Hemlock – Hardwood – Pine Forest
4.1.2 Northern Hardwood Conifer Forest
4.1.3 Lowland Spruce Fir Forest
4.1.4 Appalachian Oak-Pine Forests
4.1.5 Pine Barrens
4.1.6 Grasslands
4.1.7 Shrublands
4.1.8 Floodplain Forests
4.1.9 Peatlands
4.1.10 Marsh and Shrub Wetlands
4.1.11 Vernal Pools
4.1.12 Rocky Ridges and Talus Slopes
4.1.13 Caves & Mines
4.1.14 Shorelines
4.1.15 Headwater Streams
And other habitats as applicable (coastal towns to include coastal habitats)
4.2
Highest Ranked Habitats
Include information about the “pink and green” Wildlife Action Plan Map, called the Highest Ranked
Habitat Map; learn more about this map here:
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Wildlife_Plan/highest_ranking_habitat.htm
4.3
Natural Heritage Bureau data
Obtain list of rare, threatened and endangered plant and animal species and natural communities from NH
Heritage Bureau website
4.3
Wildlife Conservation Priority Areas
If you have identified any areas that are a conservation priority for wildlife, include a map identifying and
naming these areas. If wildlife conservation is your goal, you can use the Wildlife Habitat map as your base
map for these priority areas.
4.4
Recommendations for Wildlife and Habitats
Recommend next steps for planning for conservation of wildlife and habitats.
OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL SECTIONS:
Section 5
Scenic Resources (see Jaffrey’s NRI for an example)
Section 6
Historic and Cultural Resources
Section 7
Public, Conserved and Recreational Lands (see Hebron for example)