Forestry's Aerial Photography Program

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry acquires aerial photographs to support the sustainable management of over 16 million acres of forest land and urban forest in Wisconsin. For the purposes of the program, the state is divided into four quadrants, updating photography for one-fourth of the state approximately every two years.

Wisconsin’s Statewide Forestry Aerial Photography Program includes stereoscopic coverage for the entire state. Current photography varies across the state from 1997 to 2003. A map [PDF, 247KB] identifies the year(s) in which the photography was taken, as well as the replacement schedule for the photography. Airphotos from 1997 to 2003 are summer, black and white infrared with a scale of 1:15,840 (4" to the mile). These photos, along with other photography products, can be purchased from our vending contractor, HAS Images, Inc.[exit DNR], for any location within the state. Airphotos for the 2007 to 2014 flights will be fall, color infrared, with a scale of 1:15,840. See the map for photography schedules.

If you have any further questions about the photography products and /or the forestry aerial photography flight projects, feel free to contact the Division of Forestry Services at (608) 266-2050, or send your questions to Janel Pike or Courtney Klaus or call 608-266-9272.

You are also invited to view digital orthophotos that are available for display on the DNR website via DNRWebView's DOP tracker. Ortho Airphotos (also known as digital orthophotos, or DOPs) are digital images of detailed, rectified aerial photographs that have been geo-referenced so they can be used with other map data. When displaying DOPs on your computer, you can zoom in and out, pan, and print out portions of the airphotos just as you would any other kind of map. You can also display a wide range of other DNR map data over top of the Ortho Airphotos.

Other Useful Wisconsin Airphoto Resources

1. Wisconsin State Cartographer's web site [exit DNR]: Go to the "Wisconsin Catalog of Aerial Photography" to see what aerial photography is available throughout the state and where you may be able to view or purchase photographs.
2. Arthur H. Robinson Map Libaray [exit DNR]: On the UW-Madison Campus, the Robinson Map Library houses large quantities of historic aerial photography for across the state. The library is also currently involved in a project to scan roughly 35,000 contact prints from 1937-1941 produced by the USDA. When complete, the collection will be available for viewing online. Contact the library for more information about this project and their many other holdings.
3. WisconsinView [exit DNR]: WisconsinView contains free download of many statewide digital orthophoto initiatives (see description of DOPs above), including 2005 and 2006 NAIP imagery (National Agriculture Imagery Program). For more information on NAIP imagery, go to the USDA's Farm Service Agency [exit DNR] and search for "NAIP".
4. County Websites [exit DNR]: Many counties have current, high resolution digital orthophotos on their website or available for purchase. Try that county’s webpage for more information or call the county directly. Datasets available for each county will vary.