The Phase 3 Forest Inventory Program commenced in 1970 and the initial data collection was completed in 1984 as per a 1966 federal-provincial task force recommendation that a provincial forest inventory should be completed before private company timber harvest quotas came up for renewal in 1986. The inventory was initiated by the Alberta Forestry, Lands and Wildlife Department and was intended to facilitate future forest management plans and the revision of annual allowable cuts. The extent of the Phase 3 Forest Inventory reflects the extent of Alberta's Green Area and fringe areas at that time minus three Forest Management Units in the north (A13, F10 and F20), the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (L9), the Federal Indian Reserves and the Wilderness Areas. Under the Phase 3 Forest Inventory Program, the cover types were interpreted from aerial photography (mainly 1:15 000 black and white) to generate a hardcopy map base. These maps are not available as geo-referenced rectified images or GIS-ready data.