A fuzzy surface map representation for a forested area in Quebec was developed and evaluated relative to ground truth for two forest parameters (basal area and species composition). The fuzzy surface representation was found to perform slightly better than a conventional thematic map relative to both parameters. The fuzzy surfaces were also better at estimating species composition than basal area. It is suggested that because the fuzzy surface representation has the potential to show local variations, and to show boundaries between forest types as transition zones, it is a more realistic and useful representation of "the real world" in forestry than are conventional thematic maps. With refinement, the fuzzy surface representation developed has the potential to decrease the amount of simplification required in the map construction process and store a more realistic version of a forest in a geographic information system, thereby allowing practitioners to be closer to analyzing real-world conditions than is presently possible.