Visual Resources Glossary

Select a letter from the list below to view glossary terms and acronyms/abbreviations. The agency abbreviation following the definition indicates the definition source.

A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W

Backdrop: The landscape, seascape, or sky visible directly behind the elements of a facility, as seen from a particular viewpoint. (BLM, NPS)
Background Distance Zone: The visible area of a landscape that lies beyond the foreground/middle-ground distance zone, usually from a minimum of 3 to 5 miles to a maximum of about 15 miles from a travel route, use area, or other observer point. (BLM); The distance zone that extends from 3–5 miles away from the viewer and beyond . (FHWA); The visible area of a landscape far enough away from a viewpoint that little detail is visible, vegetation and non-vegetated areas are seen as blocks of color, and colors are muted by atmospheric haze. (NPS); The distant part of a landscape. The landscape area located from 4 miles away from the viewer and beyond. (USFS)
Backlit: A lighting condition in which the side of an object facing the viewer is shaded because a light source beyond the object is illuminating it from behind. (NPS)
Balance: A visual stability produced, and an equilibrium established in a landscape, by natural forces or human intervention. (USFS)
Baseline conditions: Existing conditions of the affected environment, affected population, and existing visual quality. (FHWA)
Basic elements: The four design elements (form, line, color, and texture) that determine how the character of a landscape is perceived. Also called dominance elements. (BLM, USFS)
Bearing: The compass direction from an observer to a viewed object, typically measured in degrees. (NPS)
Best Management Practices: A practice or combination of practices that are determined to provide the most effective, environmentally sound, and economically feasible means of mitigating the impacts of a project or activity. (NPS, BLM)