Proven Permacultureest. 2026

The Design Tool

Find your land and trace its boundary. The tool reads the terrain, climate and soils, finds valleys and estimated keypoints, then walks you through Yeomans' Scale of Permanence — climate first, soil last.

Step one — locate

Find & draw your property

Keyline plans are made for one piece of land at a time — every recommendation here starts from the boundary you draw.

Use the buttons on the left of the map: rectangle or polygon to draw, the cursor to drag corners, the eraser to delete.
Have a parcel file from your county GIS or a land app? Import it instead of drawing.
—Area
—Perimeter
—Corners
—Centre

Step two — measure

Terrain analysis

After Yeomans: the keypoint is where a primary valley's lower, flatter floor suddenly steepens. The keyline is the contour through it.

How accurate is this? Elevation comes from public terrain tiles (USGS 3DEP lidar-derived data across most of the US, coarser satellite data elsewhere), resampled to the cell size shown above. Contours and drainage are reliable at that scale; keypoints and keylines are estimates that can be off by tens of metres. Confirm them with a laser level or survey before moving soil.

Scale of Permanence — most permanent

Climate

Climate tops Yeomans' scale because it is the one factor a landholder cannot change — only design around.

Hazards on this property

Scale of Permanence — third

Water

"Once you've created the right hydrological balance, 70% of the work is done." — Sepp Holzer, Water Is Life (Tamera film, English translation)

Existing water sources

Scale of Permanence — fourth

Access & roads

After Yeomans: roads follow ridgelines and water channels, so each earthwork serves two purposes.

Vehicles & access needs

Scale of Permanence — fifth

Trees

After Yeomans: belts of trees follow the water lines and ridges, turning every earthwork into a sheltered planting strip.

What should the trees do?

Scale of Permanence — sixth

Buildings & structures

Mollison's zones radiate out from the home (Zone 0) by how often each place is visited.

Outbuildings (existing or planned)

Scale of Permanence — seventh

Subdivision & fences

Mollison: each element performs many functions, and each important function is supported by many elements.

Animals (current or planned)

Scale of Permanence — last, because it is the outcome

Soil & goals

Soil sits at the bottom of Yeomans' scale not because it matters least, but because deep, living soil is what the other seven layers produce.

Site Design Report

· Method after Yeomans & Mollison · provenpermaculture.com

Want a designer to walk the land?

Soil Solutions LLC reviews tool reports and does on-site Keyline and permaculture design in Northern California and Nevada, and remote design reviews anywhere. Send this report and we'll reply with options and a quote.

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