Historic Character Study

A historic character study evaluates the "characteristics and features that define and illustrate the significance of the landscape: (Guide to Cultural Landscape Reports: Contents, Process, and Techniques). Mapping of these features provides a tangible illustration of cultural values, and, if mapped at the same scale as natural resources, allows for multidisciplinary discussions and identification of opportunities for protection of a mix of values. This tool is particularly valuable for sites more than several hundred acres containing large areas of natural systems. (See the Presidio Forest case study.)