Fountain Forestry acquires N.Y. GIS firm

Fountain Forestry of Pittsfield, a company that manages some 575,000 acres of forest throughout New England, New York and central and southern Appalachia, announced the purchase Monday of the software and consulting firm Applied GIS of Schenectady, N.Y.
Applied GIS specializes in geographical information software and consulting services for forestry management companies like Fountain Forestry.
The acquisition will allow Fountain Forestry to strengthen its ability to oversee and manage forestland throughout the eastern portion of the country, said Barry Gamble, chairman of Fountain Forestry’s parent company, Fountain PLC, based in Banbury, UK.
“The continuing development of geographic information systems and related spatial technologies has enabled us to significantly raise our ability to measure, monitor and report on timber and other land assets,” Gamble said.
Applied GIS will undergo a name change to Fountains Spatial, and its Schenectady office will remain, as will the company’s 10-person staff. Its two principals, Austin Fisher and Larry Spraker, will stay on as president and vice president.
The recent purchase is in line with Fountain Forestry’s plan to increase its geographical information systems operation according to company president, Bruce Jacobs,
“We’ve been thinking about beefing up our GIS operations for a while and this seemed like a good match,” Jacobs said. – TRACIE STONE