Module 2: Tools to Assess Your Resources
2a. Boundary Lines & Deeds:
1. A tax map provides an accurate legal description of your property.
(a) True
(b) False - incorrect
2. The following is a possible source for a legal description of your property (check all
that apply):
(a) Land Book
(b) Grantee Book
(c) Grantor Book
(d) Deed Book
(e) Will Book
(f) Tax Maps
(g) none of the above
3. The first step in implementing any land management activity is to:
(a) Obtain a written management plan
(b) Accurately locate the property boundaries
(c) Establish management objectives
(d) Write a will
4. Plat Sheets exist for all legally described and surveyed properties.
(a) True - incorrect
(b) False
5. Legal boundary descriptions and actual boundary lines are always in agreement.
(a) True - incorrect
(b) False
6. Generally, the following is the correct order of importance (most to least) for
establishing boundary lines:
(a) Agreed upon boundaries, monuments, deeds calls
(b) Deed calls, monuments, agreed upon boundaries
(c) Monuments, deed calls, agreed upon boundaries
(d) Monuments, agreed upon boundaries, deed calls
7. Only professional surveyors and foresters can mark property boundaries.
(a) True – incorrect; Forest landowners may also legally mark boundary lines but are
also legally responsible for the boundaries they mark.
(b) False
8. The following are valid reasons to mark your boundary lines (check all that apply):
(a) To avoid committing timber trespass
(b) To minimize trespass (hunting and timber) and liability on your property
(c) To avoid adverse possession
(d) To aid in management planning and conducting management operations
9. The best way to determine the physical location of your property is to:
(a) Read your deed
(b) Ask your neighbor
(c) Make an on site inspection
10. A deed provides an accurate legal description of your property.
(a) True
(b) False - incorrect
11. The best place to find a current landowner’s name is (check all that apply):
(a) ASCS office
(b) Circuit Clerk’s Office
(c) Commissioner of the Revenue
(d) Varies by county
12. Before property is purchased, adjacent property deeds should be examined to ensure
that conflicts are minimized.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; Adjacent property deeds can provide very good information
regarding shared boundaries.
13. Virginia was originally surveyed under what system?
(a) Metes and Bounds System
(b) Public Land Survey (rectangular grids)
(c) Adverse Possession
(d) Divide and Conquer
14. The standard penalty for timber trespass is the market value of the standing timber.
(a) True – incorrect; The standard penalty for timber trespass in Virginia is double
damages (or the value of standing timber), plus court and lawyer fees.
(b) False
15. Who has the legal responsibility to mark and maintain your property boundary lines?
(a) Your forester
(b) You
(c) Your surveyor
(d) Your logger or timber buyer
16. Under Virginia law, a survey must be conducted every time a property is sold,
transferred or subdivided.
(a) True – incorrect; Under Virginia law, surveys must be conducted every time land
is subdivided. Surveys may be required for undivided land sales and transfers, but
may not be necessary if boundaries are well marked and verified by a recent
survey.
(b) False
17. The best time of the year to mark boundary lines is:
(a) Winter after leaves have fallen and understory growth is at a minimum
(b) Summer when it is 100 degrees outside, the snakes are active, and the ticks are
biting
18. Older deeds may call for cedar stakes, trees, stumps, and other boundary markers that
are no longer present.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; Older deeds often refer to markers that have long since
deteriorated, changed, or have been moved.
19. Under Virginia law, the current landowner must protect and allow access if a
cemetery is on the property.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; Under Virginia law, current landowners must protect and allow
access to family members of deceased if a cemetery is on the property.
20. Surveyors automatically mark boundary lines when conducting a boundary line
survey.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; A common and costly mistake. Most surveyors will only mark
boundary lines if asked and generally charge an additional marking fee.
21. Photocopies at the county courthouse are free.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; Take a roll of quarters to the courthouse!
22. A chain is equal to what distance?
(a) 25 feet
(b) 50 feet
(c) 66 feet
(d) 100 feet
23. Boundary lines should be checked for integrity at least:
(a) every month
(b) annually
(c) every five years
(d) every 10 years
2b. Maps, Photos, and Soil Surveys.
1. Generally, the most useful USGS topographic map series for use by forest landowners
in management planning is the:
(a) 1:100,000 scale series
(b) 7.5 minute (1:24,000 scale) quadrangle series
(c) 1:500,000 scale state map series
(d) photoimage map series
(e) Landsat 5 satellite image series
2. USGS topographic maps are oriented, i.e., the top of the map points, in which compass
direction?
(a) true north
(b) true south
(c) magnetic north
(d) magnetic south
(e) due east
(f) due west
3. USGS topographic maps use what to represent changes in dry-land elevation?
(a) red contour dashes
(b) brown contour lines
(c) blue contour lines
(d) green contour dashes
4. A map scale of 1:24,000 means:
(a) 1 foot on the ground equals 24,000 inches on the map
(b) 1 inch on the map equals 2,000 feet on the ground
(c) 1 inch on the map equals 24,000 feet on the ground
(d) 1 inch on the map equals 24,000 inches on the ground
(e) both b and d
(f) none of the above
5. On a USGS 7.5 Minute Series Topographic Quadrangle map, each brown topographic
line represents how much change in elevation?
(a) 1 foot
(b) 10 feet
(c) 20 feet
(d) 1 meter
(e) 10 meters
(f) 20 meters
6. Pine and hardwood forests may be delineated from a 7.5 minute topographic map.
(a) True – incorrect; All forest land on 7.5 minute topographic maps appear as green,
regardless of tree species. Note that orchards appear as a grid pattern of small
solid green circles
(b) False
7. Photorevised features on a 7.5 minute USGS topo map are what color?
(a) orange
(b) pink
(c) blue
(d) purple
8. Topographic lines that are tight, or close together, relative to lines that are spaced
farther apart indicate what?
(a) Gentle slopes
(b) steep changes in elevation
(c) level ground
9. Topographic maps generally do not require field verification to identify land use
changes.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; Topographic maps are made form aerial photographs and
satellite imagery, and thus are a snapshot in time. That is, they will not show land
use changes since the map was last updated.
10. All features on a USGS topographic map are assumed to be field checked.
(a) True – incorrect; Features on topographic maps are assessed from aerial
photography and satellite imagery. Some, but not all features are field verified.
(b) False
11. Aspect (or compass direction a slope faces) may be determined from a topographic
map.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; Aspect is a very useful feature that can be determined from
topographic maps and that can be used to predict vegetation, i.e., hardwood versus
evergreen forest stands.
12. Aerial photographs provide a bird’s eye view of the subject property and surrounding
properties.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; Aerial photographs allow users to get above the forest and view
a property in the surrounding landscape.
13. Aerial photographs are generally an accurate and inexpensive source of information
that can save time spent in the field.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; While an aerial photograph is a snapshot in time, photos are
excellent and relatively inexpensive planning tools that can save time spent in the
field.
14. The following land features may be identified from a single black and white aerial
photograph (check all that apply):
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
cropland
pasture
water resources, e.g., streams, rivers, and lakes
forest types, e.g., pine stands versus hardwood stands
residential areas
roads, buildings, and other manmade structures
land use changes
15. Aerial photographs usually do not require field verification to identify recent land use
changes.
(a) True – incorrect; Aerial photographs are a snapshot in time and therefore do not
show changes in land features since the photograph was taken.
(b) False
16. To identify changes in land use over time, a landowner must use at least:
(a) one photograph
(b) two photographs
(c) three photographs
(d) four photographs
17. Soil surveys were designed specifically to make recommendations on forest
management activities.
(a) True – incorrect; Soil surveys were designed primarily to for agricultural and
construction/engineering considerations. Nevertheless, they contain much useful
information for forest management decisions.
(b) False
18. Soil surveys contain the following information (check all that apply):
(a) descriptions of individual soils series
(b) tables on crops and pasture management
(c) tables on woodland management and productivity
(d) tables on recreation and wildlife management
(e) tables on engineering considerations
(f) all of the above
19. Soil surveys contain aerial photographs.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; Soil surveys contain a series of aerial photographs on which soil
series are drawn.
20. Soils surveys have been completed for all Virginia counties.
(a) True – incorrect; While soil surveys have not been completed for all Virginia
counties, farmers and forest landowners can obtain soils recommendations for
their property from their local Agricultural Services Center and Virginia
Cooperative Extension.
(b) False
21. Soil surveys contain recommendations on specific tree species to plant.
(a) True
(b) False – incorrect; Table 7: Woodland Management and Productivity contains a
listing for each soil series on recommended trees to plant. However, this listing is
incomplete and should not be solely relied on for tree planting decisions.
22. Soil surveys are the best source for information on decisions regarding planting
location and tree species.
(a) True – incorrect; Soil surveys are good place to start for making decisions on tree
species to plant. However, soils surveys are generally inadequate for making
stand-level planting decisions on subunits of property less than 5 acres.
(b) False
Module 2. Assignment
Level 1.
Read all documents, view slide shows, and complete online quizzes for 2a and 2b.
Level 2.
A. Complete Level 1 assignment.
B. Boundary Line Exercise:
Note: please read through all assignments before beginning. You should try to collect as
much information while on your property as possible…. (print out the assignment sheets
before beginning and take to the courthouse and to your property).
1. Travel to the county courthouse in which your property is located. Following the
procedure in the “Finding Your Boundary Lines” slide show (and repeated in the
Locating Your Property Boundaries Assignment Sheet), visit the courthouse in
the county that contains your property. Locate and copy your property deed (and
survey or plat if it exists), then answer the following questions.
a. Did you locate your property deed?
b. How long did the process of locating your deed take?
c. X
d. X
e. X
f. X
g. X
h. X
i.
2. Orienteering Exercise:
2. Now that you have had some success using a compass attempt to walk and
identify your property boundaries and boundary markers, then answer the
following questions:
C. TopoMap and Aerial Photo Exercise:
3. Obtain a USGS 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle map that includes your
property.
4. Identify significant features