Before you start
- Start with a completed closed area survey or an imported field boundary.
- An exclusion must sit fully inside the field and must not overlap another exclusion.
- Use safe access and do not walk into water, unstable heaps or hazardous areas.
Step by step
- 1
Open the saved field
Find the field in Field Register and open Survey details.
- 2
Start an exclusion
In Field tools, choose the appropriate exclusion category, such as woodland, pond, building or other.
- 3
Walk its edge
Start phone location and add at least three points around the internal area in order.
- 4
Finish and check
Close the exclusion. AcreTrace checks that it sits inside the field and does not overlap another exclusion.
- 5
Read net usable acreage
The field record and PDF report show gross area minus exclusions. Add a name or note so another person understands what was removed.
If you get stuck
If AcreTrace rejects the exclusion, check for a point outside the main boundary or an overlap with another exclusion.
Use the point editor to correct a misplaced exclusion point rather than starting again.
Calculated usable acreage remains an operational estimate, not a scheme-eligibility determination.