Land cover type
Land cover type is a classification of the physical state and production basis of the land surface, used in AR5, the Norwegian national classification system for land resources. Land cover type answers the question "what kind of land is this, really?" and divides the land area into 12 categories based on physical state:
- Fully cultivated land
- Surface-cultivated land
- Infield pasture
- Forest
- Bog
- Open land
- Freshwater
- Sea
- Glacier
- Transport and communications
- Built-up
- Not mapped
AR5 is a detailed land resource map suited to a scale of 1:5000 and above, and it is managed professionally by NIBIO (the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research). The map is updated through the Geovekst cooperation with the kommune based on aerial photographs, orthophotos and field inspections. The municipality's own case officers record changes, for example when cultivated land is reallocated under jordlova (the Land Act) section 9 or when built-up land is extended.
Land cover type must not be confused with land use (actual use today) or land use purpose (use set out in a plan). For forest, the classification is combined further with forest site quality (very high/high/medium/low), tree species (spruce, pine, deciduous, mixed forest) and ground conditions (soil-covered, shallow soil, exposed bedrock). The land cover types fully cultivated and surface-cultivated land, infield pasture and cultivable land are the ones that typically trigger soil protection considerations on reallocation, and soil protection is a national consideration the municipality must safeguard in all land use planning, see jordlova section 1.
For property developers, land cover type is an early-stage check. A site with the AR5 land cover type fully cultivated land or surface-cultivated land will normally require a reallocation decision under jordlova, in addition to any zoning plan, which adds processing time and may meet an objection from the county governor. Infield pasture is somewhat simpler, but it is also subject to soil protection. Forest and open land are normally not covered by soil protection, but they can trigger other interests such as outdoor recreation records, wildlife corridors and consideration zones. Land cover type therefore affects the real development capacity of a site just as much as land use purpose does.
AR5 is one of the most used data sources in soil protection, agricultural administration and municipal land use planning, and it is included as a mandatory layer in the public map base (DOK), which the municipality is obliged to use in planning and building case processing. The AR5 data is downloaded via Geonorge as part of NIBIO's delivery to the geodata cooperation and is freely available. The data is vector maps (polygons) in line with the SOSI standard, with full national coverage down to a large scale.
In Placepoint, AR5-based land cover types are shown as part of the Agriculture map layer, so you can quickly see whether a site consists of cultivated land, forest or other categories without downloading SOSI files yourself.
How the dataset appears on the map
The dataset is part of the map layer Agriculture as Land cover types (AR5):
From Placepoint's glossary: Land cover type
More information: NIBIO: Arealressurskart AR5, Lovdata: Jordlova
Norwegian: Arealtype (NIBIO AR5).
Frequently asked questions
What is land cover type in the AR5 system?
Land cover type is a classification in the AR5 system that divides Norway's land area into 12 categories based on the properties of the land, such as fully cultivated land, forest, bog, built-up land and transport and communications.
Which 12 land cover types exist in AR5?
The 12 land cover types are: Fully cultivated land, Surface-cultivated land, Infield pasture, Forest, Bog, Open land, Freshwater, Sea, Glacier, Transport and communications, Built-up and Not mapped.
Who produces and manages AR5 data?
AR5 data is produced and managed by Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi (NIBIO) (the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research) in cooperation with the kommune. The maps are updated continuously and are available via NIBIO and public map portals.
Why does land cover type matter in property development?
Land cover type determines, among other things, whether an area is subject to soil protection, suited to development or subject to special restrictions. Building on cultivated land, for example, requires reallocation under jordlova.
Can I see the land cover type for a property in Placepoint?
Yes, Placepoint shows AR5-based land cover types as map layers, so developers can quickly see what kind of land a site consists of and which limitations this brings.