Many myForest users will be aware that Land Parcel Boundaries (also known as “field boundaries”) can be a great way to start mapping your woodland property.
Last year we highlighted how to import field boundaries in the form of geospatial files from the Welsh Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS). Users in England can avail of the myForest RPA Land Parcel Import and Convert functions as well as downloading the files and importing them in the same way.
Now, following testing, we are pleased to announce that land managers in Scotland can also import their field boundaries from Rural Payments & Services’ LPIS into myForest.
Video tutorials on how to use the online portal of the Scottish Land Parcel Identification System are available at https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/lpis/tutorial-videos/. If you prefer written guidance you can download a document here https://www.ruralpayments.org/media/resources/Land-Mapping-Team—Desk-Instruction—February-2025.docx.
Once you have logged in to your Rural Payments & Services account at https://account.ruralpayments.org/publicsite/login, select your business then click on Locations and then Map in the menu bar at the top of your screen – see screenshot below.
This will load the Map Viewer. On the left, you will see a list of location codes associated with your Business Reference Number (BRN). Clicking on any one of these will display its reference number and location code. You can also display this information by clicking directly on the map on any parcel with the query tool to select it.
Click on the arrow to view your land parcels on the map, then click the download icon at the top of the map. Select the shapefile you wish to download. You have the choice to download your land parcels, ineligible feature and ecological focus areas (EFAs) or your habitat features.
Next, enter the Location code(s) for the land parcels you wish to download and click Export.
The shapefile will be downloaded to your computer in a few seconds. You can optionally enter your e-mail address for the shapefile to be e-mailed to you.
Once you have saved your shapefile on your computer, you can import it into myForest as Compartment boundaries, Sub-compartment boundaries or Feature geometries using the Import Mapping feature found under Tools in the Control Panel. For more information visit https://myforest.sylva.org.uk/mapping/mapping-tools/importing-mapping
You can watch the video below for a guide to sub-dividing imported shapefiles into sub-compartments:
If you have any of your own myForest top tips – just get in touch with the myForest team.