This Map Service displays units that were inventoried for the Visual Resource Inventory.

Public lands have a variety of visual values. It is necessary to systematically identify and evaluate these values to determine the appropriate level of management. Visual values are identified through the VRM inventory and are considered with other resource values in the Resource Management Planning (RMP) process. The inventory consists of a scenic quality evaluation, sensitivity level analysis, and a delineation of distance zones. Scenic quality is an assessment of the visual appeal of a tract of land where a rating of ‘A’ indicates high quality while a rating of ‘C’ indicates low quality based on appearance of landform, vegetation, water, color, adjacent scenery, scarcity and cultural modifications. Areas of high scenic quality have a level of visual variety and aesthetic harmony based on guidance found in H-8410-1. Photo documentation is a required part of the Scenic Quality inventory maintained at the BLM field office with management jurisdiction. Sensitivity levels are a measure of concern for scenic quality based on thorough consideration of type of user, amount of use, public interest, adjacent land uses, designations of special areas, and other factors of relevance. A rating of ‘H’ indicates a High level of public concern to maintain scenic qualities while a rating of ‘L’ indicates a Low level of public concern to maintain scenic qualities. Delineation of distance zones is a process of selecting viewing platforms from where the public lands are commonly viewed by the general public. Viewshed analysis is used to delineate the extent of view from those platforms. The landscapes are then subdivided into three zones: forground-middleground (<3-5 miles), background (beyond F-M<15 miles), and seldom seen (hidden from view). These three inventory factors are considered together using guidance from H-8410-1 Illustration 11, to derive a visual inventory class representing the relative value of the visual resource for every square foot of land inventoried. The detail of the inventory may vary. The inventory protocol may vary in such places as Alaska where resource character and land-use patterns are significantly different from the lower 48.

This Map Service displays units that were inventoried for the Visual Resource Inventory.

Public lands have a variety of visual values. It is necessary to systematically identify and evaluate these values to determine the appropriate level of management. Visual values are identified through the VRM inventory and are considered with other resource values in the Resource Management Planning (RMP) process. The inventory consists of a scenic quality evaluation, sensitivity level analysis, and a delineation of distance zones. Scenic quality is an assessment of the visual appeal of a tract of land where a rating of ‘A’ indicates high quality while a rating of ‘C’ indicates low quality based on appearance of landform, vegetation, water, color, adjacent scenery, scarcity and cultural modifications. Areas of high scenic quality have a level of visual variety and aesthetic harmony based on guidance found in H-8410-1. Photo documentation is a required part of the Scenic Quality inventory maintained at the BLM field office with management jurisdiction. Sensitivity levels are a measure of concern for scenic quality based on thorough consideration of type of user, amount of use, public interest, adjacent land uses, designations of special areas, and other factors of relevance. A rating of ‘H’ indicates a High level of public concern to maintain scenic qualities while a rating of ‘L’ indicates a Low level of public concern to maintain scenic qualities. Delineation of distance zones is a process of selecting viewing platforms from where the public lands are commonly viewed by the general public. Viewshed analysis is used to delineate the extent of view from those platforms. The landscapes are then subdivided into three zones: forground-middleground (<3-5 miles), background (beyond F-M<15 miles), and seldom seen (hidden from view). These three inventory factors are considered together using guidance from H-8410-1 Illustration 11, to derive a visual inventory class representing the relative value of the visual resource for every square foot of land inventoried. The detail of the inventory may vary. The inventory protocol may vary in such places as Alaska where resource character and land-use patterns are significantly different from the lower 48.