So I've seen people handle forest maps in a few different ways, but usually they are top down maps and either:

  • A view of the treetops and counting the area as difficult terrain/cover/stealth bonuses, etc.
  • No treetops and just the tree trunk and/or faded treetop with a trunk/marker for the obstruction/cover the trunk provides


I recently made a map that was a temple with large columns and wanted to get the impression of height, so I made them isometric and faded the tops out so it looked like they kept going. I thought I would try doing something similar with some forest maps, making the trees isometric so you can see the trunks and what is/isn't cover, and trying to simply give the impression that a forest canopy is above them. Also I chose to make the trees a little more transparent so that they didn't seem to block out too much of the map. Overall I'm pretty pleased with the results (helps that this is a bare pine forest based from this image:

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And so I've knocked up four maps in this style and attached large thumbnails of them below, which are more for referencing to see if they are to your taste. On my DA site I have huge printable versions, 7500x7500pix (these are 50x50sq maps, each square 150x150pix) both with and without the grid (the grid has purple "markers" around the trunks to better identify which square has the trunk in it). Check all the maps in my DA Gallery: http://yospeck.deviantart.com/gallery/35468665

I'm just at the start of a new campaign I'm running, so hopefully plenty more maps to be coming soon

Click image for larger version. 

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