Look. Ask. Keep.
A few deliberate notes can turn a first impression into a better second conversation.
Use a broad label for the place. Keep sensitive identifiers, signatures and financial records elsewhere. The text stays in this page until you choose to save it on this browser, print it or export a copy.
The first impression
What caught your attention? Describe the light, the season and the part of the landscape you want to understand.
The shape of the land
Note higher ground, low areas, field edges and connections. Keep interpretations separate from what you can see.
A working day
How do people, equipment and animals move through the place? Which routes or facilities deserve a closer look?
Water and the season
What water is visible, when was it observed, and what seasonal information would help?
What you were told
Record the account, who supplied it and the date. Which statements have supporting records?
The evidence to follow
Which maps, documents, images or professional assessments would answer the important questions?
The next conversation
Write three specific questions and who could help answer them.
A field journal records your questions and evidence. It is not a survey or a parcel assessment.
Compare several land files →