SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/scout-green-on-topo

On a USGS topographic map, what does a green area usually show?

Woodland, such as forest or scrub.

  1. Grassy fields with no trees
  2. Swampy water
  3. Woodland or scrub ✔

Why: USGS uses green for vegetation like woodland, orchards and vineyards. Water is blue and contour lines are brown, so a green patch means trees or brush.

Huh, didn't know that: Black on a USGS topo shows roads, trails, railroads, boundaries and other human-made features.

The dad joke
Why did the map blush? It saw the forest turn green.
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Sources

  1. USGS: Topographic Map Symbols https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/TopographicMapSymbols/topomapsymbols.pdf

Test yourself in the game

Outdoors & CampingWhy might the declination printed on an old topo map be wrong today?Outdoors & CampingOn a topographic map, what does a contour line connect?Outdoors & CampingContour lines on your map are packed very close together. What does that mean?

That's stuff everyone should know.